LAKEWOOD, N.J. - The Bloomfield College women's volleyball team dropped the opening set to the #1 seed in the South Division, Philadelphia University Rams, but rallied for the 3-1 victory (18-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-23) in the semifinals of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) tournament on Friday night in Lakewood, N.J. The Bears earn their first trip to the CACC finals since becoming an NCAA Division II member in 2002.

Senior Diannmarie Rivera (Trujillo Alto, P.R.) and junior Valerie Bermudez (San Juan, P.R) led the attack for the Bears (24-5) with 17 and 11 kills respectively. The tandem also added 9 digs each while Rivera chipped in a service ace for good measure. Nayade Paulino (Paterson, N.J.) continued her outstanding play with five blocks and eight kills. Freshman Kali Viles (McKinney, T.X.) added four blocks kills while juniors Jacquelyn Madlock (Alta Loma, Calif.) and Edmarie Freytes (San Juan, P.R.) passed out 23 and 20 assists respectively. 
 
On the Philly U side of the net, Courtney Wensel posted a match-high 20 kills to go along with 13 digs and three service aces. Nina Morvin paced the Rams offensive attack with 41 assists for the match.
 
In opening set the Rams charged ahead on a 10-3 run to take command 20-12. The Bears pushed back with a 5-2 spurt but Philly U closed out the set to claim the early 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Bloomfield looked to gain momentum in the second set and created a 12-9 advantage to put pressure on the Rams. The teams were deadlocked at 18-18 before Bloomfield seized control with seven straight points to even the match at one set apiece.
 
The pivotal third set went the Bears way on the strength of a .344 hitting percentage and head coach Amable Martinez saw his team go up 2-1 on the South Division's top team.
 
In the fourth set Bloomfield battled back and fourth with Philly U with the score being tied nine times as each team battled for control. The final tie came at 23-23 after the Bears had clawed out a 22-16 advantage, just to watch the regionally ranked Rams plow right back into the match. Coach Martinez called a timeout to rally his team and drive home the importance of the moment. Bloomfield responded to take the last two points and punched their ticket to the CACC final match.
 
With the victory, the Bears move into an all-North Division final against the Eagles of Post University on Saturday at Noon. The game will be played in Lakewood N.J. as the Lions of Georgian Court University serve as CACC Tournament hosts. The game will mark the teams third meeting of the year with Bloomfield earning a series split after a five-set thrilling victory on November 6th.
 
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