Courtesy of Matt McLagan, Caldwell SID

LAKEWOOD, N.J. (Nov. 12, 2011) – Caldwell College won its second consecutive Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Volleyball Championship with a 3-1 victory over Holy Family University Saturday afternoon at Georgian Court University. With the win, the Cougars have claimed the CACC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament. Caldwell senior outside hitter Susan McDonough was named Tournament MVP.   

Caldwell won by scores of 25-23, 25-23, 23-25 and 25-21. The match was a nail-biter from start to finish, as neither team led by more than four points in any of the four sets. The Cougars trailed 23-22 in the first set before scoring the final three points, including an ace by sophomore middle blocker Becca Feczer that gave Caldwell a 1-0 lead. In the second set, the Tigers built a 21-18 advantage until a kill by freshman outside hitter Athena Nestoras sparked four straight points for Caldwell. Feczer finished off the set again, this time with a kill for another 25-23 win.

With Caldwell taking a 21-19 lead late in the third set, it appeared the match was going to mirror last year's final that was won by the Cougars in three sets. But the Tigers tallied the next five points and held on for a 25-23 victory to extend the match. The momentum stayed with Holy Family in the fourth set, as the Tigers took the lead from the start and stayed on top, building a 21-19 lead. With a fifth set looming, Caldwell caught fire, scoring the final six points to win the set and the match, the Cougars' school-record 13th win in a row. Sophomore middle blocker Kasey Bausch and junior right side Amber Mosher put away the final two kills for the championship.

McDonough led the Cougars with 10 kills and a match-high 20 digs to earn Most Valuable Player honors for the second year in a row. Nestoras tied her career high with nine kills, Mosher finished with eight kills and Bausch and senior setter Lauren Roth had seven kills apiece. Roth also distributed 37 assists and had 11 digs. Defensively, Feczer racked up eight total blocks, while Mosher and Bausch had three blocks apiece. Bausch and Roth joined McDonough on the all-Tournament Team.

Holy Family was led by Sarah Ambach with 13 kills and three blocks. Ambach and Alyssa Kiehl were named to the All-Tournament team for the Tigers, who conclude the season with a 25-11 record.

Caldwell advances to the East Region Tournament, which begins Thursday, Nov. 17. The entire tournament field and site will be announced Sunday night on NCAA.com.          

The scores of the 2011 CACC Tournament and All-Tournament Team are listed below.

CACC Volleyball Tournament
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, Nov. 8
N#1 Caldwell 3, S#4 Chestnut Hill 0
S#2 Philadelphia 3, N#3 Nyack 1
S#1 Holy Family 3, N#4 Post 0
S#3 Wilmington 3, N#2 Dominican 1

Semifinals, Friday, Nov. 11 (at Georgian Court)
Caldwell 3, Philadelphia 2
Holy Family 3, Wilmington 1

Finals, Saturday, Nov. 12 (at Georgian Court)
Caldwell 3, Holy Family 1