(Courtesy of Chestnut Hill College Sports Information)

PHILADELPHIA, PA- After a first set that felt like it would never end, Georgian Court University got the better of Chestnut Hill College as they defeated the Griffins 3-0 (36-34, 25-20, 25-21) in Tuesday evening's Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) match.  

With 18 ties and nine lead changes the opening set was enduring for the combatants as well as the crowd. Georgian Court University (9-11, 6-4) took an initial lead, 12-5, but Chestnut Hill College (6-14, 2-7) fought valiantly on their home court to close the gap to three, 15-12, before tying the set at 19-19, and trading blows with the Lions to a 34-34 knotting. In the end, the Lions took the frame 36-34 on a couple of miscues from the Griffin hitters. The Lions gradually separated for a 25-20 win in the second set and then managed to pull away late in the third set to win the match on a 25-21 final.
 
Up front, sophomore outside hitter Anabelle Barinas and senior outside hitter Amy Berry led the Lions with 13 kills apiece. They benefitted from the athleticism of sophomore setter Jaslene Lopez who supplied 35 assists. Defensively, the Lions totaled seven blocks and had three players record at least ten digs; sophomore libero Francheska Cedres  led with 18.
 
Junior outside hitter Alexandra DePalma (Shillington, Pa.) led the Griffins with 15 points on 13 kills, two aces, and two blocks. She was supported by freshman middle hitter Rachel Biro (Nazareth, Pa.) and sophomore right side Kaitlyn Schock (Allentown, Pa.) who totaled eight kills apiece and contributed to the team's defensive efforts with four and two blocks, respectively.

Senior setter Courtney Gallo (Wilmington, Del.) provided 35 assists as the pivot player for the offense, while additional defense was found in 11 digs and two blocks from freshman outside hitter Abby Gruver (Coplay, Pa.) and ten digs from junior defensive specialist Sarah Mattaliano (Coral Springs, Fla.).

Georgian Court travels to Wilmington University Friday evening for a CACC contest. Start time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.