GLEN ELLYN, Ill. (WHKY) – The eighth-ranked Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute volleyball team put together a strong weekend against out-of-state competition, winning three of four matches at the College of DuPage Invitational and returning home with a 5-3 overall record.

The Cobras swept the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County and defeated Joliet Community College on Saturday before splitting a pair of matches Sunday, including a four-set victory over fifth-ranked host College of DuPage.

Caldwell opened tournament play Saturday with a dominant 25-19, 25-16, 25-15 sweep of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County. Rebecca Bertoni led the Cobras with 12 kills on 22 attacks, while Lena Swiderska added nine kills without an attack error. Abigail Hedgepath and Lydia Jones combined for nine service aces, while Bailey Mozeley recorded 11 digs.

The Cobras had to rally in their second match of the day after Joliet took the opening set, 26-24. Caldwell responded by taking the next three sets decisively, 25-17, 25-18 and 25-17, for a 3-1 victory.

Lyrical Edwards paced Caldwell with 14 kills against Joliet, Swiderska added 10 and Bertoni finished with nine. The Cobras were particularly effective from the service line with 17 aces, including six from Hedgepath. Mozeley had a team-high 18 digs, while Caldwell recorded 15 blocks in the victory.

Caldwell’s biggest victory of the weekend came Sunday against fifth-ranked College of DuPage. The Cobras edged the Chaparrals 25-23 in the opening set before DuPage answered with a 25-20 victory in the second. Caldwell then took control, winning the final two sets 25-22 and 25-20 to earn the 3-1 victory.

Swiderska turned in one of Caldwell’s top individual performances of the tournament with 19 kills against DuPage. Edwards finished with 16 kills and Bertoni added 14 as the trio accounted for 49 of Caldwell’s 55 kills. Addy Fortenberry handed out 26 assists and Hedgepath added 23. Bertoni also had four of Caldwell’s 12 service aces.

Caldwell also held a commanding advantage at the net, recording 15 blocks compared to three for DuPage. The Cobras finished with 73 digs to DuPage’s 66 despite the Chaparrals holding a slight edge in hitting percentage, .247 to .207.

The weekend ended with Caldwell’s lone loss, as Dallas College-North Lake took a 3-1 decision. North Lake won the opening two sets, 25-21 and 25-18, before Caldwell stayed alive with a 25-18 victory in the third. The Cobras nearly forced a fifth set, but North Lake prevailed 26-24 in the fourth.

Swiderska again led Caldwell offensively with 13 kills, while Edwards had 12 and Bertoni finished with 10. Fortenberry recorded 19 assists, Hedgepath added 16 and Mozeley led the defense with 21 digs.

The 3-1 weekend improved Caldwell to 5-3 on the season. The Cobras began the year with a five-set loss at Forsyth Tech before sweeping Rockingham Community College and USC Salkehatchie. Caldwell entered the DuPage tournament following a four-set loss to Cleveland Community College.

Caldwell returns home for a busy week, beginning Thursday, Sept. 10, against USC Lancaster at 6 p.m. The Cobras will then host a tri-match Saturday, Sept. 12, featuring Wake Technical Community College and the Livingstone College developmental team.