WEST HAVEN, Conn. (November 11, 2014) - The Franklin Pierce University Ravens volleyball team came out nothing short of hungry to prove themselves on Tuesday night, entering their third consecutive trip to the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. However, they would have to try their luck against the seven-time Northeast-10 regular season champion, winner of four of the last six conference championships, the current number one seed of this year's tournament, and do it on the road. Unfortunately for the Ravens, things wouldn't fall in their favor, as the University of New Haven Chargers would defeat the Ravens by a final of 3-0, bouncing the Ravens out of the conference championships, ultimately ending their 2014 season.

Leading the way for the Ravens was the duo of sophomore Kelsey Hausman (Sandy, Utah) and freshman Hannah St. Jean (Olympia, Wash.), who played key factors in both the offensive and defensive effort for the Ravens on the night. Both were the most consistent on the offensive side, as each hit over .200, while St. Jean slammed home a team-high eight kills, while Hausman chipped in with five. St. Jean would also go on to record three of the Ravens five blocks on the night as well.

Franklin Pierce came out of the game looking like they might pull the major upset, getting two kills and two blocks from St. Jean in the first few rallies. The Ravens continued their pace throughout the first set, giving the Chargers a run for their money. Franklin Pierce continuously found empty court for points, and played solid defense. However, things started to foil at the end of the first set, as the Ravens desperately looked to jump out to the early 1-0 lead. New Haven charged back and took the set out of the grasp of the Ravens, taking the win 25-23 over Franklin Pierce to go up 1-0. 

That set would be all the work New Haven would need to do, as the Ravens would go on to make minor slips throughout the second and third sets that would cost them points. They would not regain their competitiveness from the first set, and would go on to lose the second set 25-14, and third set 25-16, dropping the match 3-0.

Both senior Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and Aiden Garcia (Eagle Pass, Texas) each added in five kills apiece to the Ravens effort, while freshman Hannah Runge (Deltona, Fla.) would scatter 24 assists. Defensively, Garcia would also have a hand in two blocks, while juniors Sarah MacHugh (Red Hook, N.Y.) and Catherine Purdy (Ossining, N.Y.) would pace the team in double-figure digs. MacHugh would scoop up a team-high 19 on the match, while Purdy added in 11.

The kryptonite of the Ravens came in the form of Kristy Atufunwa, who solidified her presence up front for New Haven with a match-high 12 kills while owning an attack percentage of .476. Defensively, Atufunwa would also stuff down four blocks, three of which were solo.

Margo Meteyer would also contribute a solid match as the only other Charger in double-figure kills with 10. New Haven ran their offense through both Kaulana Ane (18) and Annika Hacker (11), who each recorded double-digit assists. Defensively, three Chargers also chipped in with multiple digs, led by Mateyer who led the team with 16.

With the loss, the Ravens will conclude their season with an overall record of 15-13 (.536), while New Haven improves to 21-7. The Chargers will now play host to fourth-seeded Adelphi on Friday night at Charger Gymnasium in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship semi-finals.

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).