Volleyball Tripped up by Pace, 3-1

RINDGE, N.H. (October 12, 2018) – The Franklin Pierce University volleyball team battled back throughout the proceedings on Friday night in the Fieldhouse. After falling behind 1-0, the Ravens used a 25-19 win to draw even with Pace after two sets of the Northeast-10 Conference contest. Franklin Pierce would also significantly close the gap in both the third and fourth sets after digging holes to open each set. Unfortunately though, the Ravens could not erase the deficit in either, on the way to a 3-1 loss at the hands of the visiting Setters. Junior outside hitter Sarah Roach (Provo, Utah) led all players with 18 kills, while senior outside hitter Claudia Fontanet led the way for Pace with 15 kills.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 5-19 (1-7 NE10), while Pace improves to 17-3 (6-1 NE10).

Unsurprisingly, Franklin Pierce's fortunes went up and down with its hitting percentage on Friday night. The Ravens hit just .178 while losing the first set, 25-16, and then followed up with a mammoth, .394 mark in the second-set victory. The team's hitting percentage tumbled all the way to .132 in a 25-19 loss in the third set and then rebounded, though not enough, to .200, in a 25-20 loss in the fourth set. Pace out-hit the Ravens, .281 to .219, over the course of the match.

After dropping the first set, the Ravens put together their best volleyball in the second set. The set was tied at 14-14, when Franklin Pierce used a kill from Roach to take the lead for good. It sparked an 8-3 run for the Ravens, who rattled off four straight points, including kills from Roach and freshman middle Breanna Mineweaser (Honey Brook, Pa.), to jump out to a 22-17 lead. Freshman outside hitter Cierra Dolan (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) provided Franklin Pierce's final three points of the set, with a pair of kills and a solo block.

Unfortunately for the Ravens, they could not keep the good feelings rolling into the third set. Pace rattled off the first five points of the set, including three points off of Franklin Pierce attack errors, as part of a larger, 12-4 run to open the set. The Setters would push the lead as high as 16-7, before the Ravens started to eat back into the deficit. Franklin Pierce would cut the gap to 19-16, but could get no closer.

The fourth and final set was much of the same. The Setters ran off the first five points on the way to a 17-5 lead. Franklin Pierce later whittled the lead down all the way to 23-20, but then Pace got back-to-back kills from junior middle Tatjana Calimpong-Burke to finish off the match.

For Franklin Pierce, Roach (18 kills) was joined in double digits by Dolan (11 kills) and junior middle Abigail Garnhart (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who added 10 kills. Sophomore setter Mary Pease (East Haddam, Conn.) dished out 39 assists. Defensively, junior libero Jocelyn Moody (Biddeford, Maine) led all players with 29 digs, while Garnhart and freshman middle Corinne McCarthy (Kalamazoo, Mich.) each recorded a pair of blocks.

Fontanet (15 kills) led three Pace players in double figures offensively, as she was joined by junior setter Samantha Nidini (13 kills) and Calimpong-Burke (10 kills). Nidini dished out 26 assists while splitting the setting duties with sophomore Nicole Pivetti, who added 24 of her own. Defensively, the Setters got 18 digs apiece from Fontanet and junior libero Danielle Vaiano, while Calimpong-Burke contributed four block assists.

The Ravens return to the court on Saturday, Oct. 13, when they remain home to host Adelphi in an NE10 contest. First serve is set for 4 p.m. in the Fieldhouse.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuravens.com). 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 (https://www.fpuravens.com/store).