RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Amid the backdrop of a severe late-summer thunderstorm that rendered the Job Gymnasium scoreboards inoperable, the women's volleyball teams from Caldwell College and host Felician College staged a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference showdown on Thursday night. Despite the occasional flicker of lights, the teams completed play, with Caldwell earning a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-7) victory.

The match marked the 2013 home opener for Felician (0-2, 0-1 CACC) and the CACC lid-lifter for both schools. Caldwell was chosen to win the CACC North Division in the conference's preseason coaches' poll.

Sophomore outside Olivia Emerson (Sparks, Nev./Edward C. Reed) topped the Golden Falcons with a .207 attack percentage and nine kills. Transfer Emma Reijonen (Joensuu, Finland/Lyseo Joensuum) added five kills and six digs.

The first two sets were tightly contested. In the opener, Caldwell (3-2, 1-0) clung to a 20-18 lead before closing out the set with five of the final six points. Consecutive Taylor Kovach (Oregon, Ohio/Clay) service aces highlighted the run. Set 2 was tied on 12 occasions, the last time at 19-19 before back-to-back Kasey Bausch (Bellmore, N.Y./Holy Trinity) blocks began a string of six straight Cougar points.

The visitors carried the momentum into the third set, when, trailing, 4-3, they put together 12 points in a row to take control. The match ended on a Kovach service ace, her third of the night.

Caldwell freshman outside Taylor Zaeske (South Milwaukee, Wis./South Milwaukee) hit .435 and led all players with 14 kills. Athena Nestoras (Los Angeles, Calif./St. Monica Catholic) hit .458 with 13 kills, and Cougar senior setter Lisa Roth turned in a double-double with 17 assists and 14 digs

Sophomore libero Sarah Shebel (Chandler, Ariz./Perry) paced the Felician defense with 11 digs and classmate Kayla Gallagher (Bloomingburg, N.Y./Pine Bush) put down three blocks.