Box Score Philadelphia, Pa. - (11/4/2015) – The Chestnut Hill College women's volleyball team started the season's stretch run on a high note, completing a season sweep of visiting University of the Sciences (USciences) with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 26-24) verdict. Senior outside hitter Rachel Biro (Nazareth, Pa.) was the catalyst, pounding a match-high 17 kills on a .406 hitting percentage (17K-43-32TA) for the Griffins, who snapped a two-game skid and picked up a crucial victory in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) South Division race.
 
While Chestnut Hill College (10-18, 9-6) completed a fourth consecutive 3-0 sweep of the Devils and matched the program record for conference victories (9) set last season, USciences (5-16, 4-12) was determined to make it a difficult task. The first set seesawed with five ties and three lead changes, with the final deadlock coming late in the frame at 18-apiece. Back-to-back hitting errors gifted the Griffins a two-point cushion and, after a USciences kill, sophomore middle hitters Melissa Shunk (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and Samantha Gelfan (Chandler, Ariz.) bookended another Devil error with kills, providing a 23-19 edge. Four points later, junior middle hitter Emily Koehler (Bath, Pa.) polished off the set with a booming kill, 25-21.
 
Chestnut Hill College ran away with the second set, leading by as many as 13 (23-10) before settling on a 25-13 decision, and appeared set to do the same with the third. The Scarlet and Gold opened up a 13-5 bulge after a kill by Shunk before USciences rose off the mat. The Devils pulled in front at 20-19 and 21-20, but consecutive errors handed the Griffins the lead right back. A kill from Biro supplied a pair of set points at 24-22, but USciences refused to go away, reaching another stalemate at 24-all. A quick timeout did the trick for Chestnut Hill College, which sealed the match thanks to back-to-back kills from freshman Kennedy Sutton (Chesapeake, Va.) and Biro, 26-24.
 
Senior opposite Caitlyn Crawford (Covington, Ohio) was the most effective Devil with 13 kills and 11 digs to her credit. She was supported by senior outside hitter Desirae Lair (Las Vegas, Nev.) (eight kills) and senior setter Hannah Boulaiche (Clifton Heights, Pa.), who finished with 24 assists and seven digs.
 
Biro added four digs and two block assists to her sparkling ledger, and Sutton stuffed the stat sheet with a career-high nine kills, 18 assists, five digs, and three aces. Senior setter Alyssa Tamsing (Ventura, Calif.) recorded a double-double with 20 assists and 10 digs in her third start of the season, and junior libero Regina Trabosh (Norristown, Pa.) led all players with 17 digs. Shunk registered three kills and a match-high four block assists for Chestnut Hill College, which hit .243 (13K-4E-37TA) in the second set and .244 (16K-6E-41TA) in the third.
 
The Griffins continue their postseason push tomorrow, November 5, with a 5:00 p.m. CACC match against Nyack College at University of the Sciences.