WORCESTER, Mass. (October 16, 2018) – Two Franklin Pierce University volleyball freshman produced double-digit kills but it was not enough as the Assumption College volleyball program rallied from a 2-1 match deficit to defeat the Ravens 3-2 (25-23, 16-25, 25-23, 21-25, 17-19) Tuesday night at the Laska Gymnasium. With the win, the Greyhounds improve to 3-13, 3-7 NE10 while the Ravens fell in their ninth league showdown.

Each team attacked over 220 times in the showdown. Assumption outhit the Ravens by a .215-to-.141 margin. The hosts also won the battle at the net out-blocking the Ravens 12-to-5.

Freshman outside hitter Cierra Dolan (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) led all Ravens with 12 kills. Classmate Breanna Mineweaser (Honey Brook, Pa.) set a new personal-best with 11 kills to go along with four digs and a match-high three service aces. Junior outside hitter Sarah Roach (Provo, Utah) chipped in 11 kills of her own with 14 digs on defense. Freshman middle Corinne McCarthy (Kalamazoo, Mich.) totaled seven kills, a .294 hitting percentage, and five digs. Setter Mary Pease (East Haddam, Conn.) doled out 50 assists for the first time in her career.

On the defensive end, Brittney Carias (Burlingame, Calif.) established a new career-high 32 digs, the 13th highest single-game total in program history. Over her four year Raven career, Carias has 1,087 digs ranking seventh in team annals.

Greyhounds freshman middle Alana Hruska had a match-high 23 kills and a .408 hitting percentage for the home team.

The Ravens lead early 2-0 thanks to an attack and rotational error by the Greyhounds. Assumption took their first lead by tallying five points in a row and held an 8-4 advantage following a Roach attack error. Pierce responded with three in row to cut their deficit to one, 8-7 as Roach roped a ball from the left pin. The set ended up tied 10-10 when Dolan put away a set from Pease from the outside. FPU's 9-2 scoring run continued and came to a halt after Assumption called a timeout following a Roach ace to up their edge to 13-10. The stoppage worked in the hosts favor as they tallied five consecutive markers to lead by two 15-13. McCarthy halted the Assumption run by tipping a kill into the open part of the court.  A Jocelyn Moody (Biddeford, Maine) attack miscue made it a 19-16 set. FPU used a timeout and followed with a 7-2 run to lead 23-21. Two errors by Pierce tied the set 23-23, but a Dolan outside mash and an Abigail Garnhart (Colorado Springs, Colo.) kill at the middle dished by Pease clinched the first set victory.

The Ravens reception was perfect in the first set, as they committed no errors. The Greyhounds had one, which ended up being the difference in the set.

Assumption built an advantage in the early going until the Ravens took a 7-6 lead after Roach pulverized the ball from the left side. Both squads traded possessions back and forth, as Assumption eventually moved ahead 19-11 via eight consecutive points including five kills off the swing of Hruska. Abigail Garnhart had a hand in the next two Raven points by converting a set from Pease to a kill and teaming up with Roach to stuff Lanie Peterson. Assumption outscored the Ravens 6-2 over to win the set 25-16.

The Greyhounds hit at a high clip in the second set (.447) compared to the Ravens (.186) which propelled them to a second set victory.

AC produced three in a row to begin the all-important third set as Kellie Smith banged home two aces. FPU manufactured three straight of their own capped off by a Dolan roll to the right side to deadlock the score at 3-3. The teams swapped points until Assumption dumped in four straight to lead 14-10 midway through the set. Franklin Pierce rallied to take a 17-15 lead on the strength of a 7-1 run, a stretch in which Mineweaser produced two huge mashes from the left pin. The Greyhounds came back via four consecutive points to lead 19-17. Two aces by freshman Addison Wright (Carmel, Ind.) and Mineweaser pushed the Ravens ahead 20-19. The action picked up late as the Ravens led 23-22 via a bad set. A Raven service error tied the score at 23-23. However, Carias lofted a ball just inches from the ground off her forearm over the net and into the unoccupied space on the floor to put the Ravens one point away from a set victory. The Ravens won the set 25-23 after an Assumption attack error.

McCarthy carried the Ravens into the driver's seat at 9-7 as she demolished a three-ball from the middle into the open back line. A Kelly Dorandi ball handling error increased the score to 11-8. Assumption dropped in three straight to tie the fourth set 11-11. With the game tied 14-14, McCarthy was set up by Pease for a kill and Moody tallied an ace to give the Ravens a 17-15 edge. An Ariana Orcera kill that hugged the end line and an ace brought the score to 19-19. After a Raven timeout, Assumption staked out to a three-point lead via two Kellie Smith kills, 22-19.  A Smith attack error and a Moody kill made the fourth set a one-point lead at 22-21. Assumption totaled the final three points to win the set 25-21.

Dolan opened the fifth set with two kills from the left pin to give FPU the early 2-0 edge. Assumption totaled five in a row to move in front 5-2. An Abigail Garnhart tip ball to the open part of the right side brought the Ravens within one 6-5. Two Assumption miscues put the Ravens ahead 7-6 until a Hruska kill tied the set at 7-7. Roach roped a ball to the back line as the Ravens steered ahead 8-7 before the court change. Assumption tied the set at 10-10 after a dual block and a Raven ball handling error. A Mineweaser mash and a Roach kill placed the Ravens in the lead by two. They were on the brink of a victory after a Pease kill with the score sitting at 14-12. Assumption tied the set 14-14 due to a dual block by Hruska and Mary Campbell. Dolan gave the Ravens a short-lived lead until a Raven tip attack grazed the net and stayed on their side of the court to send the game into free serves. A Greyhound attack mistake once again moved the Ravens ahead by one, however, Assumption scored the final three points to win the set 19-17 and the match 3-2.

The Ravens have the weekend off and will prepare for their next match, Tuesday, October 23rd at Saint Anselm with first serve slated for 7:00 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://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 apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://fpuravens.com/store). You can also follow the volleyball program on Twitter (https://twitter.com/FPURavensVB) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fpuravensvb/).