WASHINGTON, D.C. - Competing at the Worthington Classic hosted by Gallaudet University, Catholic volleyball picked up a pair of victories to improve to 10-2, matching 2018's start to the season. 

GAME 1 - Catholic 3, Utica 1 (25-12, 25-21, 18-25, 25-23)

The Cardinals improved to 9-2 with a victory over Utica in the first game of the weekend, getting off to a red-hot start with a 25-12 victory in the first set. The Cardinals hit an unconscious .607 in the opening set before finishing with a four-set victory that saw the team hit .200 or better for the ninth time in 12 matches. 

Halie Murphy, Tanya Sichling, and Olivia Blondin combined for 38 of the team's 52 kills in the match. Blondin hit .333 for Catholic while Sichling hit .296 from the right side. 

Six different players recorded an assist with Sydney Sheppard racking up 37 assists while Claudia Morales (7) and Isabel Gonzalez-Alvarez (3) also saw game action at the setter position. 

Defensively, Blondin dug up 13 balls to add another double-double to her season tally while Gaby Hernandez-Ferraiuoli led the team with 20 digs. Grace Guerin recorded five blocks, including three solo rejections in the match. 

Heather Stout's team wasted no time asserting itself, jumping out to a 7-0 lead with two kills each from Guerin and Sichling. The Cardinals led 12-3 before Utica narrowed the gap to 14-7. Catholic extended the lead to 23-10 after back-to-back aces from Hernandez-Ferraiuoli before kills from Sichling and Murphy closed out the set. 

Utica got off on the right foot early in the second, leading 9-6 before Catholic took five straight points to creep ahead after an ace from Izzy Steinberg and a kill from Blondin. The set was knotted at 13 before a five-point run for Catholic pushed them up 18-13 on a kill from Guerin. Utica made it interesting once more, cutting the gap to one (19-18), but the Cardinals closed out a 25-21 win on a kill from Erin Faughnan. 

The Pioneers utilized a five-point run to jump ahead in the third set before cruising through the final stretch to a seven-point victory, making it a 2-1 game. 

Utica started up 4-0 in the fourth set and led 7-5 before Catholic took the lead with a four-point run. Another 5-0 stretch extended the lead to 15-9 as Sheppard recorded an ace and Guerin picked up rejections on back-to-back points. A late 5-0 run for the Pioneers tied the set at 21 all, but Catholic held on late as Blondin finished the match off for the victory. 

GAME 2 - Catholic 3, Arcadia 0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-23)

Once again it was Murphy and Blondin leading the offensive effort as the dynamic duo of outside hitters combined for 26 kills in a three-set victory over Arcadia. Murphy hit .268 for the match while Blondin added 12 digs to record her seventh double-double of the season. 

Catholic logged eight blocks in the match while holding Arcadia to a hitting percentage of just .056. Guerin chipped in with four more blocks to give her nine for the day. Hernandez-Ferraiuoli had 21 digs while Sichling and Steinberg each totaled 12 for the match. 

Sheppard split time with Morales as the primary setter, handing out 21 assists while the freshman set a new career-high with 11. 

Despite the sweep, Arcadia hung in throughout the match. Catholic led just 12-11 in the first set before a six-point run created some separation. Murphy had three straight kills on the run while Hernandez-Ferraiuoli picked up two more aces. Arcadia took seven straight points to sneak right back into the set, trailing just 21-19, but four straight Arcadia attack errors gave Catholic a 25-19 set win. 

The second set saw ties at 10-10 and 16-16 after Arcadia jumped ahead 16-12. Two kills from Murphy brought Catholic within one before an attack error tied the set. Catholic took a 20-18 lead after a duo block from Guerin and Blondin, but the Knights tied it at 20. Catholic took five of the last six points with Blondin recording two kills and an ace. 

It looked like the Knights may extend the match at multiple points in set three, but the Cardinals overcame the threat and finished the job in three. The Knights led 12-7 before a five-point run for the Cardinals with Sydney Hanley getting in on the action with a kill. Arcadia led it 19-16 and 20-17, but the Cardinals scored four straight to jump ahead 21-20 on Murphy's 15th kill of the match. Blondin logged two of the final three points to close it out for Catholic. 

Catholic takes on Marymount (Va.) at 12 p.m. tomorrow in a Pope's Cup matchup as the Worthington Classic continues. The Cardinals will play a fourth match of the weekend at either 2 or 4 p.m. tomorrow.