Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Wilmington, Del. – (9/7/2018) – Chestnut Hill College began two days of competition at Wilmington University's Wildcat Regional Invitational today, Friday, September 7, with an afternoon match versus Franklin Pierce University (FPU) and Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). The Griffins played their best frame of the day in their opening set opposite the Ravens, but could not maintain their efficiency as they dropped the next three sets in a 3-1 (17-25, 28-26, 25-19, 25-13) loss to FPU. Unfortunately, the Owls did not take it any easier on the Scarlet and Gold, dismissing the Griffins in three sets, 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 31-29). Senior setter Kennedy Sutton (Chesapeake, Va.) directed the Chestnut Hill College offense with six kills, 55 assists, and 21 digs between the two matches; junior middle hitter Cassie Callahan (St. Louis, Mo.) also stood out with 14 kills, four assists, two aces, 37 digs, and a block.
 
Chestnut Hill College (1-5) used a strong start to win their first set of the afternoon, mounting a 4-0 lead and building a 14-6 advantage before withstanding a mid-set run from FPU (3-7). The Ravens narrowed the gap to three points, 14-11, but were unable to maintain their rally as the Griffins outscored them 11-6 the rest of the way in a 25-17 final. The Scarlet and Gold hit .233 (10K-3E-30TA) in the frame, unfortunately, they could not continue their success as FPU stole a highly competitive second set, 28-26, before winning the match with 25-19 and 25-13 closing sets.
 
Freshman right side Lauren Lipinski (Gilbert, Ariz.) offered an impressive performance with 12 kills on a .423 (12K-1E-26TA) hitting percentage, an assist, two digs, and a block assist. She was joined in double digit kills by sophomore outside hitter Corrine Kalala (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), who added two digs and a block assist to 11 kills. Sutton supplied four kills, 34 assists, and 12 digs, while Callahan finished with six kills, three assists, and 22 digs. Also of note, freshman defensive specialist Kerri Sullivan (West Brandywine, Pa.) scored two aces, junior defensive specialist Janie Green (Hayes, Va.) landed three aces and made 10 digs, and sophomore setter Shaina Franklin (Yorktown, Va.) hustled to a recorded a career-high 17 digs.

Chestnut Hill College did not begin well against SCSU (6-5), who left the Scarlet and Gold behind in a 25-13 final. The Griffins saw more success in the second set, but still lost the frame to the Owls, 25-19. Determined to make it a match, Chestnut Hill College fought tooth-and-nail in the third set. Still, the see-saw frame came down to a pair of scoring efforts from junior outside hitter Gabriela Vazquez (Meriden, Conn.) that concluded the match in the Owls' favor, 31-29.
 
Callahan and junior outside hitter Reily Byxbee (Madison, Conn.) scored eight kills apiece to lead Chestnut Hill College; the former also tallied an assist, two aces, 15 digs, and a solo block, while the latter added two assists and eight digs to her kills. Sutton offered two kills, 23 assists, and nine digs.
 
Chestnut Hill College continues play in the Wildcat Regional Invitational tomorrow, Saturday, September 8, with matches versus Merrimack College (10:00 a.m.) and American International College (AIC) (2:00 p.m.).