WASHINGTON, D.C. - Catholic volleyball improved to 8-2 with a three-set victory over Gettysburg on Wednesday evening on Franny Murray Court. Each set was decided by just two points, but the Cardinals pulled each one out in resounding fashion. 

Olivia Blondin recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 16 kills and 12 digs to lead Catholic. Blondin has at least 10 kills in all 10 matches so far this season. Halie Murphy and Tanya Sichling each had nine kills for the Catholic offense while Sydney Sheppard dished out 39 assists, averaging a monstrous 13 per set. Catholic hit .246 for the match, including an extremely efficient .414 in the first set. 

Defensively, Gaby Hernandez-Ferraiuoli joined Blondin in double figures with 11 digs while Grace Guerin recorded four blocks on the night. 

Five players totaled at least two kills in the first set as Catholic took it 27-25. Sichling got off to a red-hot start, tallying five kills on seven swings in the opening set while Blondin had four kills on seven attacks. The set featured 11 tie scores and eight lead changes. Catholic jumped ahead 8-5 after a five-point run with Murphy and Erin Faughnan recording kills. Gettysburg took an 11-10 lead before another 4-0 Catholic run as Blondin put the Cardinals ahead 14-11. A 6-1 run in Gettysburg's favor pushed them ahead 18-16, but Catholic scored four straight to switch things in its favor. A late four-point stretch for Gettysburg put the Bullets ahead 24-22, but Catholic responded, getting a block from Guerin and a kill from Blondin to take a 25-24 lead. Blondin and Sichling went back-to-back to give the Cards a 1-0 lead. 

Blondin added six kills in the second set as Catholic took another 27-25 victory to go up 2-0. The lead changed only four times in the second set, but the score was tied 12 times throughout the set as neither team led by more than four. The Bullets led 14-10 after an Izzy Lugar kill, but a Faughnan kill sparked a 10-2 run for Catholic to lead it 20-16. Blondin and Guerin combined for six of the 10 points on the run as Blondin logged three kills and Guerin added two kills and a block. Gettysburg struck back to take six of the next seven points, edging ahead 22-21. Murphy logged the next two kills for Catholic, tying the set at 22 and 23, but an Erin Gonzalez kill put Gettysburg back ahead by one. A Blondin kill and an Aileen McPartland ace pushed the Cardinals ahead 25-24 before Gettysburg tied it one final time. Blondin's sixth kill of the set put Catholic back in the lead before Sheppard finished the set off with a service ace. 

It looked every bit like a fourth set was on the way as Gettysburg held leads of 20-15 and 23-20, but a resilient Cardinal bunch fought back to take the final five points and win it in straight sets. Blondin added her 15th and 16th kills of the night in the final stretch while Guerin figured in on her fourth block to help Catholic clinch it while McPartland served for the final four points. Sichling and Izzy Steinberg served up aces in the comeback effort. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• For the seventh time this season, Catholic hit .240 or better as they sit with a team hitting percentage of .240 for the season. The Cardinals hit .240 or better nine times in all of 2022. Catholic sat 22nd nationally in hitting percentage at .239 entering the contest. 
• Catholic's 8-2 start is their best since a 10-2 opening to the campaign in 2018. The Cardinals finished 19-13 in 2018, reaching the Landmark Conference semifinals. 
• With 16 kills tonight, Blondin is back up over four kills per set in 2023 at 4.06. She has 134 kills on the season and is closing in on 600 for her Catholic career. 
• Murphy hit .240 for the night, marking her sixth straight match hitting .225 or better. She has 123 kills for the season and is hitting .262. 
• With six more kills tonight, Faughnan is up to 60 for the season. The sophomore is hitting .378 for the campaign which would rank her 31st in the country at the time of publication. 
• Guerin retook the team lead in blocks with 23 on the season, leaving her just one block shy of 175 for her career. 

Catholic will compete in the Worthington Classic this weekend hosted by Gallaudet University. Catholic will face Utica and Arcadia on Friday evening at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively.