Three Ravens figure on five or more blocks

EASTON, Mass. (October 18, 2013) – In the end on Friday night, senior middle Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo.) was the only player to hit over .200, as she put away 11 kills against two errors to hit .360 and added seven block assists to lead the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team to a 3-2 victory over Stonehill in Northeast-10 Conference play at Merkert Gymnasium. On both sides of the net, the teams dug shot after shot and stuffed attack after attack in a match which produced 188 digs and 24 blocks over five sets. For Stonehill, sophomore outside hitter Delia Phillips had 13 kills, three aces and a block assist to lead all players with 16.5 points.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 6-6 (1-4 Northeast-10), while Stonehill falls to 12-8 (4-2 Northeast-10). The teams traded dominant victories early – Stonehill took the first set, 25-15, and Franklin Pierce the second, 25-14 – before settling in for the long haul. After Stonehill nabbed a 25-23 win in the third set, Franklin Pierce took the fourth, 25-20, and the fifth, 15-12, to snap its four-match losing streak.

Of note for the Ravens, senior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) had one ace on Friday night, the 158th of her career. The ace tied her with Mandy Johnson for the program's all-time record, and her next will give her sole possession of the top spot.

In the decisive fifth set, Franklin Pierce trailed as late as 10-8, before back-to-back blocks evened the set and a ball-handling error by Stonehill freshman setter Taylor Stevens gave the Ravens an 11-10 lead they would never relinquish. After trading the next four points, sophomore outside hitter Sydni Schulz (Cypress, Texas) put away a kill to give Franklin Pierce a 14-12 lead and the only match point it would need. Schulz then served for the match after a Stonehill timeout, and an attack error by senior right side Kirsten Arvidson finished things off.

"Aesthetically pleasing" would not be a phrase either offense would choose to describe the proceedings, as both sides struggled to put away shots. Over the evening's five sets, Franklin Pierce put down 37 kills, but committed 32 errors to hit just .028 over 181 attempts. The Stonehill attack was trivially better, as the Skyhawks put down 49 kills, but racked up 41 errors to hit .040 over 202 attempts. Though the teams combined for 73 errors, it is worth noting that nearly a third of them (24) were as a result of blocks by the opposition's front-line defense. The fifth set proved to be a microcosm of the match's offensive adventures, as both teams posted negative attack percentages in the decisive frame.

For Franklin Pierce, Jackson was joined in double digits by junior outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.), who put down 10 kills while hitting .118, which was good enough to be among the night's top three hitters. The Ravens ran the offense primarily through the set of freshman Kelsey Hausman (Sandy, Utah), who finished with 24 assists.

For Stonehill, Arvidson's .118 was the best hitting percentage of any player with at least 10 attempts, as she added 11 kills to support Phillips' efforts. Three additional Skyhawks added six or more kills, but each added six or more errors as well and the trio hit a combined .000 to completely cancel each other out. Stonehill worked off the set of Stevens, who dished out 39 assists, but committed four ball-handling errors along the way.

Franklin Pierce held a decisive advantage in the night's service efforts. Though each team came up with seven aces, the Ravens committed only three service errors, while Stonehill committed 10.

Of course, some degree of the match's offensive shortcomings came as a result of the defensive efforts put forward. Each side recorded 94 digs, just shy of 20 per set. Not to be left out of the action, the front rows combined for 24 blocks, with Franklin Pierce recording 13 and Stonehill recording 11.

For the Ravens, Miller led the way with 29 digs and was joined in double digits by four of her teammates. Sophomore defensive specialist Catherine Purdy (Ossining, N.Y.) was next with 13, Hausman added 12, Schulz chipped in 11 and senior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) contributed 10. Up front, Jackson's seven block assists made her one of three Franklin Pierce players to be a part of five blocks, as well as one of five to take part in three. Senior right side Ashley Bruce (Hampton Falls, N.Y.) and freshman middle Aiden Garcia (Eagle Pass, Texas) each recorded five blocks (one solo for each), while Hausman and Swiderski notched three block assists each.

For Stonehill, senior outside hitter Sydney Maxey chalked up 21 digs to lead four Skyhawks in double digits. She was joined by senior defensive specialist Jessica Frankowski (20), Phillips (14) and sophomore outside hitter Kelsey Weymouth (12). Weymouth led Stonehill up front with seven block assists, while Arvidson added five block assists and junior middle Meaghan Lee added three block assists.

The Ravens return to the court on Tuesday, Oct. 22, when they return home to host Merrimack in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First serve is scheduled for 7 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).