Young duo leads Volleyball to split at LIU Post tri-match

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (September 19, 2015) – Freshman Abigail Sonuga (Haverhill, Mass.) and Katie Leidhold (Acushnet, Mass.) each collected 11 kills apiece in pursuit of a victory, as the Franklin Pierce University Ravens Volleyball team split their matchups today. The Ravens came home with a loss versus host LIU Post 3-1, then went on to shut out Holy Family 3-0.

With both games under wraps, the Ravens stay over .500 with an overall record of 6-5 on the young season.

The first match for Franklin Pierce brought on a lot of tough matchups, and it looked as if the Ravens could key in on gaining the advantage early on. Thanks to solid play from Leidhold and sophomore Hannah St. Jean (Olympia, Wash.) the Ravens were a threat on the offensive end in set one. They pushed the limit to extra play, but would drop the set 28-26.

From there, sophomore Madison Klusendorf (Santa Maria, Calif.) took over the offense, aiding Franklin Pierce to a much needed win in set three to push the match to 2-1 with a 25-23 result. But the Ravens were unable to overcome their defecit, dropping the match 3-1 after losing set four 25-22.

Klusendorf led in the kill department with 13 total, the only Raven to smash double-digits in the match. Sophomore Hannah Runge (Deltona, Fla.) would collect yet another double-double on the young season, tossing out 33 assists and snagging 20 digs. Leidhold paced the way with 26 digs, while senior Sarah MacHugh (Red Hook, N.Y.) was the only other Raven to amass the 20 mark with 20 digs of her own.

Match two brought a complete 180 result for Franklin Pierce, with the young guns of Sonuga and Leidhold stepping up on offense. The Ravens made quick work of Holy Family, as Franklin Pierce would finish with an attack percentage of .370, while Holy Family was only able to muster a .104 percentage.

The Ravens dominated each set, taking commanding wins in each one, with finals of 25-16, 25-10, and 25-17.

Sonuga and Leidhold's success ran through the hands of Runge, as she passed around 33 total assists in the match, while defensively Leidhold followed in Runge's shoes from the first match, notching a double-double while collecting 11 digs. Klusendorf and MacHugh also finished in double-digit digs as well.

The Ravens return to the court this Tuesday, September 22, as they will play host to Southern New Hampshire University in their first home game of the season in Rindge at the Fieldhouse. Game time is set for 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).