Hausman adds 32 assists

WATERBURY, Conn. (September 14, 2013) – Senior right side Ashley Bruce (Hampton Falls, N.H.) hammered out a team-best 12 kills and hit a match-best .409 over 22 attempts on Saturday afternoon to lead the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team to a 3-0 win over Post in non-conference play at Drubner Center. Senior outside hitter Emily Wilman led all players with 15 kills and hit .343 for Post in defeat.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 4-0 (0-0 Northeast-10), the program's best start since 1996, while Post falls to 0-4 (0-1 Central Atlantic). The Ravens swept through the match with set scores of 25-20, 25-11 and 26-24.

Already with a 2-0 lead, Franklin Pierce faced a 16-21 deficit in the third set, before rallying to prevent Post from extending the match. Back-to-back kills by junior outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and senior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) closed the gap to 18-21, before the teams traded a handful of succeeding points. Later, a kill by sophomore outside hitter Sydni Schulz (Cypress, Texas) was followed by an ace from sophomore defensive specialist Catherine Purdy (Ossining, N.Y.) to level the set at 23-23. It was the first of four kills down the stretch by Schulz, who then put away back-to-back kills to turn a 24-24 tie into a 26-24 set win for the Ravens to finish off the match.

For Franklin Pierce, Bruce led the way with her highest kill total of the young season, as well as her most efficient hitting day so far in 2013 (minimum 10 attempts). She was the only Raven to reach double digits offensively, though Ray added eight kills and hit .250 over 20 attempts, while freshman middle Aiden Garcia (Eagle Pass, Texas) chipped in seven kills while hitting .312 over 16 attempts. Franklin Pierce ran the offense through freshman setter Kelsey Hausman (Sandy, Utah) who piled up 32 assists on the day. The Ravens added seven aces, led by three from sophomore defensive specialist Sarah MacHugh (Red Hook, N.Y.), though they committed seven service errors as well. Regardless, the team held a sufficient edge in the service game, as Post notched only one ace against 10 service errors.

Defensively, no Franklin Pierce player reached double digits in digs, as the team only needed 33 against a quiet Post offensive attack. Senior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) led the team with nine digs, while Schulz added six. At the net, Franklin Pierce came up with five blocks, led by Ray, who figured in on two.

On the other side of the net, Post hit only .144 on the afternoon and generated 21 of its 31 kills from just two players, as freshman middle Nicole Brown added six after Wilman's 15. Perhaps even more telling, Wilman and Brown (.286) were the only Eagles to hit over .100 on the day, while two of their teammates posted negative attack percentages over 10-or-more swings. The Eagles worked off the set of junior Julia Slyaktina, who collected 20 assists.

Defensively, no Post player recorded more than three digs, as the Eagles had only 11 as a team. Senior middle Stephanie Zarakas factored in on all three of the team's blocks.

The Ravens return to the court on Saturday, Sept. 21, when they return home to host New Haven in their Northeast-10 Conference opener. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Fieldhouse in Rindge.

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).