Volleyball Swarmed by Yellow Jackets 3-0

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 10, 2017) – The Franklin Pierce University volleyball team traveled to Northeast-10 Conference opponent American International College and dropped a 3-0 (18-25, 13-25, 21-25) decision to the host Yellow Jackets Tuesday night at the Butova Gym. The win advances AIC to 13-8 overall and 6-1 NE10 while the loss drops FPU to 4-12, 2-3 NE10.

Franklin Pierce was led by sophomore outside hitter Danielle Varricchio (Boynton Beach, Fla.) who tallied double-digit kills (10) and added seven digs along with one block. Fellow outside hitter Brittney Carias (Burlingame, Calif.) chipped in four kills, eight digs, one ace and one assist. Setter Hannah Runge (Deltona, Fla.) tallied a team-high 18 assists to go along with 12 digs.

Jana Potic attempted 36 attacks for the Yellow Jackets and converted 15 of them for kills. On the defensive side, she racked up 10 digs and two blocks while hitting .306 over three sets. Annie Boele tacked on nine kills, three aces, and two digs while Dolores Kopren added a match-best 39 helpers.

The Ravens held a 5-2 lead in the early parts of the first set due to four kills from Varricchio and one by Abigail Garnhart (Colorado Springs, Colo.). AIC rallied back to take their first lead at 7-5 using a 5-0 mini-run with Mercy Rivera serving. Still holding a slim two-point edge, the hosts notched four consecutive markers with three coming off Annie Boele aces to move ahead 12-8 and force the Crimson and Grey to take a timeout. Following the stoppage, the Ravens rallied to tie the set at 15 all as Garnhart converted a kill off a Runge feed. AIC would regain the lead with another run to push back ahead 20-16. Pierce paused play with their second timeout of the set, but the Yellow Jackets would go on to win by a 25-18 score.

AIC started off hot from the court by notching the opening five points of the second set with two Kopren aces and two kills by Potic to move ahead 5-0. Following a Raven timeout, freshman Ofeira Petaia (Honolulu, Hawaii) temporarily halted the run with a kill to cut into the lead at 5-1. The Yellow Jackets would notch the next seven points to hold a commanding 12-1 edge. Franklin Pierce cut the second set deficit to single figures at 15-6 on an attack error, but AIC took the second set 25-13.

In the third set, the Ravens were ahead by a 4-2 score after Runge placed an ace near Boele for a point. AIC recovered by scoring nine in a row which was capped off by a Raven attack error as they led 11-4. Franklin Pierce clawed back into the set to make it 12-9 after a successful Hannah St. Jean (Olympia, Wash.) kill. The score kept fluctuating until FPU rallied with a 5-1 mini-run to come within one at 19-18. AIC ended the match with the final three points to take the match 3-0.

The Ravens return to the Fieldhouse on Saturday for a 5:00 p.m. duel with NE10 foe the University of New Haven.

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).