SELINSGROVE, Pa. - Fifth-seeded Catholic defeated fourth-seeded Susquehanna 3-1 on Tuesday night to secure the Cardinals first Landmark Conference Tournament win since 2013. Catholic defeats Susquehanna in tournament play for the first time, snapping a seven-game playoff losing skid to the River Hawks. 

Laci Freitas led an outstanding offensive performance with 19 kills, a new career-high. Freitas total is tied for the third most kills in a Landmark Tournament contest in Catholic history, matching teammate Erin Faughnan and Claudia Jean.

Freitas hit an impressive .389, helping Catholic hit .313 as a team, its second-best percentage of the 2024 season. She was joined in double digits by Grace Guerin (14) and Julia Raab (10). 

The Cardinals took an ever-important first set, 26-24, as they took the final four points of the set to steal it away from the River Hawks. A 6-0 run in the middle of the set took Catholic from trailing 11-8 to leading 14-11 as Ava Borcky picked up a kill before three straight from Freitas.

Faughnan joined the fray to put the Cardinals ahead 14-11, but the River Hawks had an answer. Trailing 19-16 after a kill from Guerin, the River Hawks went on a 5-2 run, tying the contest at 21. Three straight points gave Susquehanna a 24-22 advantage, but the Cardinals took advantage of a service error, getting an ace from Raab to tie the set before Freitas put Catholic ahead. Gaby Hernandez-Ferraiuoli picked up an ace to give the set to the Cardinals. 

A strong start from Raab helped the Cardinals build an 11-6 lead in the second set, but an 8-3 run for Susquehanna tied the set at 14. Tied once again at 17, Raab picked up another kill before adding an ace to make it 20-17. A block and a kill from Guerin put the Cardinals ahead 23-18, but Susquehanna took the next three to put the pressure back on. Another Freitas kill gave Catholic set point and Guerin finished the job for a 2-0 lead. 

After dropping the third set, the Cardinals built a 12-8 lead in the fourth and final set before Susquehanna raced back to take a 15-14 edge. Susquehanna led the set as late as 19-18, but Freitas tied things up before Borcky put Catholic back in the lead for good. Guerin slammed down her 14th kill to give the Cardinals match point and Anna Maria Carella called her own number to finish off the River Hawks. 

QUICK HITTERS

• Catholic's 64 kills in the contest are its most ever in a four-set match, surpassing a total of 62 vs Chatham in 2018. 
• The Cardinals had assists on 59 of the 64 kills, the third-highest total in a four-set match. 
• With 17 digs, Hernandez-Ferraiuoli moves into seventh all-time in program history with 1,565. She passes Mary Roy ('96-99) and is one shy of Caroline Kelly ('18-21)
• As noted above, this is Catholic's first win over Susquehanna in the Landmark Tournament and its first win in the tournament since 2013 when it swept Goucher in the quarterfinals. 
• .313 is Catholic's second-best hitting percentage in a conference tournament match. 

The Cardinals' journey will continue on Thursday evening in Huntingdon, Pa. as it takes on top-ranked Juniata.