WASHINGTON, D.C. - It was a dominant performance right from the start for the Catholic women's volleyball team on Friday night as they defeated St. Mary's College of Maryland in straight sets, 25-14, 25-22, 25-11. The combination of senior Brittany Connatser and freshman Halie Murphy proved lethal for Catholic as they tallied 28 kills and both hit well over .500 for the match. 

Murphy was the star of the show early on for Catholic, registering seven of her 14 kills in a first set that saw the Cardinals really jump out on top of the Seahawks. Murphy had seven kills on nine swings in a set that saw the Cardinals hit an astoundingly efficient .619. Catholic went on a 12-0 run in the set, extending its lead from 5-4 to 17-4. A pair of kills from Connatser ended the dominant set for the Cardinals. 

The Seahawks made it a contest in the second set, rallying back from a 10-4 deficit to tie the set at 12-12. Now leading 15-14, junior Olivia Blondin tallied back-to-back kills to extend the lead for 17-14 for Catholic. Another Blondin kill made it 19-16 Cardinals before a Connatser kill and a bad set from the Seahawks gave Catholic a five-point cushion. St. Mary's battled to 24-22, but an attack error ultimately ended the set with Catholic the victors. 

Murphy and Connatser were back at it again to kill the Seahawks' spirits early in set three. Catholic opened the set on an 11-3 run, getting six kills from the combo in the process. Catholic went ahead 18-7 before finishing off the match with a 25-11 third set victory. 

For the match, the Cardinals hit an impressive .422, tallying 41 kills. Catholic also added 13 points via service aces, getting four each from junior Gaby Hernandez-Ferraiuoli and freshman Izzy Steinberg. Defensively, Blondin and Steinberg each had 15 digs to lead the way. In command of the offense as usual, junior Sydney Sheppard dished out 26 assists and chipped in with seven digs. Grace Gilmore was a standout for the Seahawks with seven kills. 

It will be a quick turnaround for the Cardinals as they travel to Cabrini College tomorrow for a tri-match with Cabrini and Vassar.