YORK, Pa. - The Catholic volleyball team closed out the 2026 regular season on Saturday with a tri-match hosted by York. The Cardinals defeated the Spartans in a five-set battle before falling to the No. 7 Tartans, 3-0.
Match One: Catholic 3, York 2
Catholic took an early advantage in the first match of the day against York. The Cardinals opened the scoring with a kill from
Maddie Wilkey before the Spartans responded with three straight points. The teams battled for the lead with contributions from
Kate Kozlowski,
Julia Raab and
Julia Turchiano helping the Cardinals regain control.
The Spartans built a five-point advantage later in the set, but the Cardinals swung the momentum back in their favor. A kill from
Juliette Cummings, two service aces from
Laci Freitas and two Spartan attack errors knotted the score at 24. Despite York taking a timeout to regroup, Catholic added two more to its tally, the final kill coming from Raab to win the set 26-24.
York looked to bounce back in set two, taking the first point with a kill from Liz Kerin. It remained a seesaw battle until late in the set. After tying up the score at 22, the Spartans pulled ahead, but Catholic evened it once again at 24, capitalizing on an attack error from Kelsey Fahey. The score was tied again at 25, forcing extra points. York claimed the final two points to win the set 27-25, evening the match score at one set apiece.
Catholic struggled to find its rhythm in set three, allowing the Spartans to jump out to an early lead. York continued to build its advantage as the Cardinals found points throughout. Late in the set, Catholic went on a six-point run to cut the deficit to six, but it wasn't enough to stop the Spartans, who took the set 25-18 and grabbed a 2-1 match lead.
The Cardinals came out strong in set four, scoring five straight to open the set. The Spartans briefly stopped the run, but Catholic quickly added two more points from Freitas and Raab, going up 7-1 and forcing York to call a timeout.
Following the break, the Spartans added a few points, but Catholic maintained its composure, extending its lead by as many as 14. The Cardinal defense held strong, limiting York to just 13 points in the set.
Caroline Welsh picked up a late kill, then Turchiano delivered the final point to secure a 25-13 victory and force a fifth set.
The final set opened with another kill from Turchiano, followed by a York point from Gacie Plunkert. The Spartans took a quick lead, but the Cardinals answered with a seven-point run to build a five-point advantage. Catholic held onto that lead despite York's attempts to close the gap, and Wilkey locked in the final point, winning 15-12.
Match Two: Catholic 0, Carnegie Mellon 3
After taking down the Spartans in match one, Catholic took on the nationally-ranked Tartans in match two. Carnegie Mellon set the tone quickly in set one, opening the match with seven consecutive points. The Cardinals were able to get on the board, capitalizing on errors to get their first two points. Contributions from Raab, Turchiano, Cummings, Freitas and
Marin Stensrud helped Catholic battle back, but the Tartans claimed the set 25-16.
Carnegie Mellon took command once again in set two, scoring six straight points to build an early advantage. Freitas put a stop to the run, and Catholic began to chip away at the deficit. Despite their attempts, the Tartans remained in control, defeating the Cardinals 25-12 to take a two-set advantage.
Catholic began to find a groove in set three, opening the scoring with a kill from Raab, followed by another from Wilkey and a service ace from Stensrud. However, Carnegie Mellon kept up a strong defense, and kept the game in their favor, winning 25-11 to take the set and match.
Inside the Box Score
- Kate Kozlowski once again played a strong defensive role for the Cardinals, logging five block assists against York followed by four against Carnegie Mellon. Julia Turchiano had six block assists on the day followed by Juliette Cummings with five.
- Julia Raab led the team with 22 kills in the tri-match. She currently leads the squad with 232 this season.
- Anna Maria Carella led the team with 30 assists across both matches. She leads the team with 432 assists this season, bringing her career total to 1,400 assists.
