Miller notches 13 digs, Ravens serve up seven aces

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. (September 7, 2013) – Junior outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) hammered out 24 kills over two matches and senior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added 20 more on Saturday afternoon, as the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team defeated both Chestnut Hill and host Millersville on the second day of the Marauder Clash. The Ravens took both matches by 3-1 scores to finish the tournament undefeated.

With the wins, Franklin Pierce improves to 3-0 (0-0 Northeast-10). A year after placing as the runner-up at the Marauder Clash, the Ravens won all three of their matches at Millersville this time around to claim the title. Against Chestnut Hill, Franklin Pierce dropped the first set, 20-25, before claiming three straight, 25-16, 25-22 and 25-17 to take the match. Against Millersville, the Ravens took the match, 25-18, 25-21, 19-25, 25-19.

In the first match of the day, Swiderski led the way with 16 kills over 36 attempts, while committing just four errors as she hit a team-best .338. The Ravens balanced the attack behind her, as senior right side Ashley Bruce (Hampton Falls, N.H.) added nine kills, and Ray and freshman middle Aiden Garcia (Eagle Pass, Texas) chipped in seven each. Bruce added just two errors over 24 swings to hit .291, while Schulz added three aces to the offensive attack. The offense ran through the set of freshman Kelsey Hausman (Sandy, Utah), who dished out 31 assists.

Defensively, senior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) picked up 20 digs on the afternoon. Schulz added 10 digs, Ray picked up nine, and Swiderski contributed seven more to come up just shy of a double-double. At the net, Hausman recorded a block solo, while Bruce and Garcia each added a block assist.

Full statistics from the match against Chestnut Hill are unavailable at this time.

Against Millersville, Ray led the way with 13 kills, but hit just .102, as she also committed eight errors over 49 swings. Bruce was more efficient, as she hit .273 while recording 10 kills, and Schulz added 10 of her own. The trio again worked off of Hausman's set, as she found 33 more assists in the finale. As a team, Franklin Pierce served up nine aces against the Marauders, though it committed eight service errors as well.

Defensively, Schulz led the team with 16 digs, while both Miller (15) and Hausman (10) reached double digits as well, with the latter recording her first double-double. Franklin Pierce recorded four blocks as a team in the match, with Garcia and Ray leading the way with a pair of block assists each.

On the other side of the net, Millersville was led offensively by sophomore middle Kayla Wallace, who recorded nine kills over 22 swings to hit .227. Junior middle Mary Paul was, by far, the most efficient Marauder, as she hit .438 on her way to eight kills against one error over 16 attempts. Junior outside hitter Katie Lesinski added eight kills as well, but also made seven errors to hit just .031. The Millersville offense worked off the dual set of senior Jessica Franz (19 assists) and freshman Erika Smith (17).

Defensively, sophomore libero Brooklyn Smith led Millersville with 28 digs, with no other Marauder reaching double digits. As a team, Millersville piled up eight blocks on the afternoon, led by three (two solo) by Paul and five block assists by freshman middle Sydney Gallagher.

The Ravens return to the court on Saturday, September 14, when they travel to Post for a non-conference contest. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Drubner Center in Waterbury, Conn.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce volleyball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).