Article by Director of Athletic Communications Luke Tracy 

Rockville Center, N.Y. (9/2/23)- Franklin Pierce University Volleyball tipped off its 2023 season with two dominant wins at the Aline Pascale Lubin Invitational volleyball tournament hosted by Molloy University in Rockville Center, New York. The pair of wins mark the best start for the program since 2019 and count as Head Coach Eric Roderick's first wins as a collegiate head coach.

 Match #1: Franklin Pierce 3, Molloy University 1

(26-24, 25-17, 14-25, 25-19)

Raven Standouts:
Ingrid Lindstrom:14 Kills
Tessa Brandt: 10 Kills, 14 Digs
Morgan Schmutzler: 21 Digs
Martina Spackova: 6 Block Assists

Seniors Ingrid Lindstrom (Dudley, Mass.) and Tessa Brandt (Foster, R.I.) were key players each tallying double digit kills. Brandt stuck out in the digs department as well counting 14 along with senior Morgan Schmutzler who earned 21 digs. Martina Spackova (Bratislava, Slovakia) made an impact as well with 6 block assists.

Between the Franklin Pierce University Ravens and the Molloy University Lions, the first set of the match was the most competitive. Neither team held a lead with more than three points and coaches were as active as the players, both calling two timeouts in the fight to 25 points. Late in the first set, the Ravens were down 23-24 with the final point on the line, but Seniors Madelynn Boop (Reno, NV) and Ingrid Lindstrom (Dudley, Mass.) stepped up and laid down back-to-back-to-back kills to swipe the set victory from the Lions.  

The Ravens commanded the second set, at one point leading 20-11 over the Lions but the Molloy clawed within 6 points. The nail in the casket for the second set victory came from Julia Felgenhauer (Bolivar, Ohio) who earned a service ace to win the match.

Just one step from victory, the Ravens got tripped up in the third set. The Lions came out roaring and scored nine unanswered points and it wasn't until Molloy's own player Aria Miller caused an attack error putting the Ravens on the board 1-9. Later in the set Molloy would go on another seven-point run dominating the match 7-20. Unable to catch up, the Ravens lost the third set by a wide margin 13-25.

Leaving the third set behind the Ravens rallied in the fourth. Like the first set, both teams traded points, but as the set went on Pierce slowly pulled away and won the final set 25-18, earning the first win of the season.

Match #2: Franklin Pierce 3, Queens College (N.Y.) 0

(25-18, 25-17, 25-22)

Raven Standouts:
Madelynn Boop: 8 Kills, 6 Digs
Martina Spackova: 6 Kills
Morgan Schmutzler: 18 Digs

The Ravens squared off against the Queens College Knights on the second day of the Aline Pascale Lubin Invitational and quickly swept the match in a 3-0 victory, which tipped team's record to 2-0 on the season. The second victory of the year proved to be a team effort as six different players registered at least one kill in the three sets including the team high set by Madelynn Boop with 8 kills. Senior Morgan Schmutzler had a near repeat day tallying 18 digs in the second match for a weekend total of 39 digs.  

During the first set, the Knights led until the score reached 11-12, which is when Martina Spackova earned a kill, then a block, and then a Spackova and sophomore Avery LeBlanc (Exeter, R.I.) both blocked an attack from the Knights scoring a third consecutive point which shifted momentum in favor of the Ravens. From there the Ravens held control and finished off the set with a four-point run that ended with Tessa Brandt winning the set with a service Ace.

In the second set the score stayed within four points all the way until the Ravens were up 19-17. From there, FPU put the pedal to the floor and went on a six-point run to secure the second set victory.

Like the Black Knight in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", the Queens College Knights wouldn't go down without a fight and proved it in the third set. Early on Queens scored four straight points and held the lead until the teams tied up at 11-11. From there both teams again traded services errors and kills and met again at tie score of 22-22. With just three points to victory, Madelyn Boop registered a kill, which then followed by a Queens service error to get the ball back in her hands for a chance to win the game. Up 24-22, Boop served a dagger that the Knights couldn't return earning the final point for the set and match victory.

What's Next?

The 2-0 Raven's will be back on the court Friday, September 8 and 9 for the Post University Tournament in Waterbury, Connecticut.