HARRISBURG, Va. – Mary Paige Nesfeder, Michelle Seals and Michelle Bouchard provided outstanding efforts on both sides of the net to lead to The Catholic University of America women's volleyball team to a day one 2-0 finish during the Eastern Mennonite University Invitational on Friday, August 29.

The Cardinals concluded the opening day of action with a three-set wins over Mary Baldwin (25-16, 25-9, 25-13) and Salem College (25-15, 25-18, 25-23).

Nesfeder, the sophomore outside hitter, was a valuable asset on the left side of the net, turning 49 attempts into 21 kills with only eight errors (.265).  Freshman setter Michelle Seals of Danville, Calif., fueled the offensive effort with 51 assists on the day.  Seals and Nesfeder were also effective from the service line, as the pair gathered four service aces and three service aces, respectively.

Nesfeder delivered her best offensive effort during the match against Mary Baldwin, where she registered 11 kills on 16 attempts with one error.  Seals' was just as effective during the match, recording a career-high 18 assists.

In terms of defense, sophomore Michelle Bouchard tallied 30 digs in collaboration with Nesfeder's 19 digs, freshman Brynn Cooley's 16 digs and Seals' 14 digs. Audrey Bizak stopped three opposing attacks with two solo blocks and one block assist.

Bouchard dominated the defensive campaign against Salem, collecting a season-high 18 digs in the match.  Bizak provided a balanced performance against Mary Baldwin, as she closed on one block and stopped one attempt on her own.  Coooley, the freshman out of Athens Ohio, made her freshman debut with a career-high 14 digs against Salem.

Catholic wraps up the EMU Invite with a 10:00 a.m. game against Eastern Mennonite and a 12:00 p.m. game against Hood at 12:00 p.m.  Both contests take place on Saturday, August 30.

-CUA-