WORCESTER, Mass. (October 18, 2014) – Senior Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) had herself a big day on Saturday afternoon. Not only did she end her day with a career-high 24 kills, she also surpassed 1,000 career kills in leading the Franklin Pierce University Ravens to a 3-2 win over Assumption College Greyhounds.

Swiderski etches her name into program history as only the sixth Raven to surpass the 1,000 kill milestone, the first since Christina Calderon completed the feat in 2010. At the same time, Swiderski also passed Katie Ristow for fifth all time, and only sits eight kills away from putting herself fourth on the program all-time list.

The match was close throughout, and it all started from the first set. The Ravens came out on the right side of a 26-24 first set where either team did not lead by more than four points. The Ravens were down by four at one point at 21-17, but charged back and took the win for the 1-0 lead. The second set was much of the same, as Assumption was able to jump ahead and take the 25-21 win, tying up the match at 1-1. However in the set, Swiderski was able to clinch her ninth kill of the game which gave her the record setting 1,000. In set three, the Ravens took control and dominated. Franklin Pierce would win the set 25-12, which is their largest margin of victory in a set all season. Up 2-1, Franklin Pierce had a chance to clinch the match, but Assumption would not be denied. Again, it was back to point-for-point volleyball, as it was Assmption who clawed their way to the close 25-23 win in set four, tying the match up at 2-2. Finally, the Ravens ran off eight straight points after being down 8-7 in the fifth set to take the 15-8 win, and take the match 3-2.

Backing up Swiderski with a big game for herself was freshman Hannah St. Jean (Olympia, Wash.) who recorded a career-high 15 kills with a hitting percentage of .433. St. Jean also put a hand in two of the Ravens five blocks on the afternoon. The offense facilitated through freshman Hannah Runge (Deltona, Fla.), who dished out 41 assists and added in seven service aces on the afternoon.

Swiderski also showed a defensive prowess, scooping up 17 digs on the day to give her a double-double, while junior Sarah MacHugh (Red Hook, N.Y.) led the defensive department with a team-high 24 digs. Junior Catherine Purdy (Ossining, N.Y.) and sophomore Kelsey Hausman (Sandy, Utah) also chipped in with double-digit digs, as Purdy ended with 15 and Hausman with 12.

For Assumption, graduate student Alie Carlson slammed home 13 kills on the afternoon. Senior Ann Donahue (11) and recent Northeast-10 Rookie of the Week Stephanie Hawley (10) each finished with double digit kills as well. Freshman Kiki Romanik ended with a game-high 45 assists. Defensively, junior Courtney Bagwell dug up 20 digs, while three other Greyhounds finished in double-figures.

The Ravens improve to 12-8 overall (5-3 Northeast-10), and are winners of 10 of their last 13. Their next match will see the Ravens home for a three-game home stand, beginning with American International College on Tuesday, October 21 at 7 p.m.

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).