2018 CSAC Volleyball Championship Page

ROSEMONT, Pa. - Nov. 1, 2018 - The six-team field for the 2018 Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) volleyball championship is set with first-round matchups slated to begin Tuesday, October 30.

The CSAC team that takes home the volleyball hardware this season will do so for the first time in program history. The only programs in this year's field to advance to the championship match are second-seeded Keystone College Giants (2016) and sixth-seeded Clarks Summit University Defenders (2010).

Tuesday's matchups feature the third-seeded Cedar Crest College Falcons (17-7, 6-2 CSAC) hosting the Defenders (8-19, 3-5 CSAC), while the fourth-seeded Bryn Athyn College Lions (8-12, 4-4 CSAC) will host the fifth-seeded Wilson College Phoenix (7-12, 4-4 CSAC). Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. start. The top-seeded Notre Dame of Maryland University Gators (23-4, 8-0 CSAC) and Keystone (12-15, 7-1 CSAC) received byes into the semifinal round on Thursday.

First round action features pairings between teams that squared off in the regular season just last week. The Falcons and Defenders met just six days ago in Allentown as Cedar Crest registered a four-set victory by scores of 25-22, 22-25, 25-17 and 25-22. Bryn Athyn will host Wilson for the second time in four days; in a close match, the Lions edged the Phoenix 25-22, 25-20 and 25-23.

Notre Dame made a perfect run through its CSAC slate earning three-set sweeps in six of its eight conference matches. The Gators lead the CSAC in kills/set (10.93), assists/set (9.89), service aces/set (3.60) and rank second in overall hitting percentage (.168). The Giants' Pamela Heitman (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) leads all CSAC liberos with 495 digs, and average of 5.63/set.

The championship match is set for Saturday and will be hosted by the highest remaining seed following the two semifinal tilts. Saturday's winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.