Radnor, Pa. – Making its first-ever appearance in the Colonial States Athletic Conference championship, visiting Keystone College battled top-seeded Cabrini University in an epic, five-set thriller, but the Cavaliers prevailed with a hard-fought, 15-10 win in the decisive fifth set to claim their fourth consecutive conference title.
 
Cabrini, appearing in its ninth-straight CSAC championship match, improves to 18-14 on the season while securing the CSAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  The Cavaliers won the CSAC's first five-set title match since dropping a 3-2 decision to Neumann University in the 2012 championship contest.
 
Keystone finishes another historic season with a 21-10 record after having a nine-match winning streak snapped.  The Giants' 21 wins are tied with last fall's mark for the second most wins in a season in program history, trailing only the 1992 squad that went 22-9.  
 
The opening set of Saturday's title contest was tightly contest with Keystone opening up the biggest lead of the game at 14-10.  Cabrini countered with seven of the set's next eight points to take a 17-15 edge, but the Giants answered with an 8-3 run to claim a 23-20 lead.  The Cavaliers rallied with the final five points of the set though to claim a 25-23 win while taking a 1-0 advantage in the match.
 
The second game was another back-and-forth set with neither team able to take an advantage greater than two points until Keystone opened up a 19-16 lead.  Cabrini got a pair of points back before the Giants scored seven of the last eight points of the set to win the contest 25-19 and level the match at 1-1.
 
The third set again started tightly.  With Keystone holding a 9-6, edge, Cabrini went on a 10-2 run to claim a 16-11 lead.  The Giants drew to within four points at 18-14, but the Cavaliers picked up five of the next seven points claim a 23-16 advantage.  Trailing 24-18, the visitors fended off a pair of set points before Cabrini prevailed 25-20 to take a 2-1 advantage in the match.
 
Keystone scored the first six points of the fourth set, but Cabrini battled back to within a point at 13-12.  The Giants pushed their advantage back to four points at 19-15 and, after the Cavaliers got a point back, the visitors surged to a 22-16 lead.  The hosts scored the next three points and twice trailed by two points, but got no closer as Keystone forced the decisive fifth set with a 25-22 decision, knotting the contest at 2-2.
 
The fifth set began like the first four sets with both teams going point for point.  Tied 6-6, Cabrini scored the next five points and to claim an 11-6 advantage.  After Keystone stopped the host's run, the Cavaliers tallied three points in a row to claim a 14-7 lead.  The Giants would not go quietly though, fighting off three match points before Cabrini ended the match with a kill.
 
Cabrini's Emily Shannon was named the CSAC Championship MVP after finishing with a match-high 22 kills to go along with 17 digs.   Anne-Marie Jones added 11 kills for the Cavaliers, who received a match-high 49 assists from Emily Stokarski.  Kelly Guarino led the hosts with 27 digs while Jones served up three aces.
 
Hannah Zuchowski (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro Area) and Taylor Beatty (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) totaled 15 kills apiece for Keystone, Maddie Roat (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) added nine kills, and Malley Bowen (Owego, N.Y./Tioga Central) and Amanda Hardy (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) put down six kills apiece in the loss.
 
Pamela Heitman (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) tied a Keystone single-match record with 40 digs while also breaking the Giants' single-season record in the process, as the sophomore finished the fall with 477 digs.

Bowen led the Giants with 40 assists while Bowen had 24 digs, Beatty picked up 20 digs, and Zuchowski added 16 digs as Keystone had four players record double-doubles on the night. 
 
Beatty and Shannon Monahan (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold) totaled a pair of blocks each while Beatty and Victoria Homfeld (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) served of aces for the Giants.
 
In a match that featured numerous long rallies and outstanding defense, Keystone finished with a 113-104 advantage in digs while Cabrini held a 9-6 edge in total blocks.  The Cavaliers hit .138 with 56 kills while the Giants totaled 55 kills on a .134 hitting percentage.  The hosts also held a slim, 7-6 edge in service aces in the match.
 
Saturday's championship contest marked the final game in a Keystone uniform for seniors Zuchowski and Dana Carey (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock), who led the Giants to its first two CSAC playoff appearances in the last two year's including this fall's CSAC Runner-Up finish.