Garcia reaches double digits for first time

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 24, 2013) – Freshman middle Aiden Garcia (Eagle Pass, Texas) hit .286 with 11 kills, while senior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added nine kills and 19 digs on Tuesday night, but it was not enough to counteract an offense which hit just .135 as a team, as the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team was shutout, 3-0, by American International in Northeast-10 Conference play at Butova Gymnasium. Sophomore outside hitter Bailey Swan hit .400 and hammered out 19 kills in the victory for AIC.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 4-2 (0-2 Northeast-10), while American International improves to 8-5 (2-0 Northeast-10). The Yellow Jackets swept through the contest with set scores of 25-23, 25-20 and 25-22.

Already trailing 2-0, the Ravens tried to get something going in the third set, when they won eight of the first 11 points to take an 8-3 lead, and stretched the gap as high as six points on multiple occasions, the latest of which came at 13-7. Franklin Pierce still led at 15-10 and 17-13, at which point AIC rattled off five straight points to initially take the lead at 18-17 on the 17th of Swan's 19 kills on the night. Franklin Pierce tied the set at 18-18 on the final kill of the match by Garcia, but AIC got another kill from Swan and then stuffed Garcia's next attack back for a block to take a 20-18 lead. The Ravens pulled within a point on four more occasions, but could never recover, and the Yellow Jackets ultimately finished things out fittingly, on yet another kill by Swan.

For Franklin Pierce, Garcia was the only player to hit over .250 (on 28 attempts) on Tuesday night, as she recorded double-digit kills for the first time in her young collegiate career. She was followed by sophomore outside hitter Sydni Schulz (Cypress, Texas), who hit .240 with seven kills in 25 attempts, senior right side Ashley Bruce (Hampton Falls, N.H.), who hit .211 with six kills in 19 attempts, and Ray, who wound up hitting .156 over 32 swings. The story was told farther down the sheet, where junior outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) hit -.182 over 11 attempts and senior middle Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo.) went -.143 over seven attempts. In all, Franklin Pierce committed 17 errors in the match, against just 35 kills. The offense worked off the set of freshman Kelsey Hausman (Sandy, Utah), who dished out 28 assists, but also committed three service errors and two ball-handling errors.

Defensively, the Ravens were better, as three players reached double digits in digs: Ray with 19, senior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) with 14 and Schulz with 10. As a team, Franklin Pierce piled up 61 digs in just three sets, which helped hold American International to just a .197 hitting percentage.

The sub-.200 performance for AIC would be enough however, thanks primarily to Swan's effort, as the sophomore was set 40 times and made only three errors on the way to her gaudy numbers. The Yellow Jackets also got 13 kills from sophomore outside hitter Melanie Garcia, though she had 45 attempts, committed nine errors, and added three service errors to mostly undo her contributions. Junior middle Phoebe Lettington proved to be a sufficient complement to Swan, as she hit .360 with nine kills and no errors over 25 attempts and added three blocks up front (one solo). AIC worked off the set of freshman Hannah Smith, who piled up 42 assists without a ball-handling error.

Defensively, senior libero Caitlin Connelly led the way for AIC with 24 digs (8.00 per set). Junior outside hitter Vanessa Ruiz contributed 13 digs, while Melanie Garcia and Smith narrowly missed double digits with nine apiece.

The Ravens return to the court on Saturday, Sept. 28, when they return home to host Bridgeport in a non-conference contest. First serve is set for 5 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).