Buchholz tallies match-high nine kills as Ravens improve to 5-2 in NE-10 play

Boxscore

RINDGE, N.H. (October 2, 2007) – Franklin Pierce University hit well and capitalized on University of Massachusetts-Lowell errors as the Ravens cruised to a 3-0 (30-22, 30-23, 30-15) victory over the River Hawks in Northeast-10 Conference women’s volleyball action at the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse on Tuesday evening.

Junior co-captain Nicole Buchholz (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) tied for the match high with nine kills and added three blocks, as the Ravens spread their offensive stats among many players. Sophomore Katie Ristow (Miami, Fla./Miami Killian Senior HS) posted eight kills to accompany a match-high 10 digs and a service ace, while freshman Diana Rutt (Dayton, Nev./Dayton) recorded seven kills and two service aces. Junior co-captain Karissa Hookstadt (Camarillo, Calif./Camarillo) had another solid all-around match for the Ravens, with a match-high 24 assists, nine digs, two blocks and five kills on a match-best .455 hitting percentage.

Kaitlynne Akroyd (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) led the River Hawks, hitting .304 with a career-high nine kills while adding three digs and two blocks. Jillian Hadder (Yucaipa, Calif./Yucaipa) added six kills and six digs for UMass Lowell.

The first game of the evening was one decided by two scoring streaks, one for each team. Down 14-9, UMass Lowell scored six consecutive points to gain a slight 15-14 lead as the teams continued to trade points. The Ravens made a decisive push down by two at 19-17, however, running off 10 consecutive points on the serve of junior Emily Schultz (Salem, Wis./Westosha Central) to take a 27-19 lead that helped to clinch the opening game.

After taking the second game, Franklin Pierce again used several scoring runs to put away the River Hawks in the third game. The Ravens built up a 7-5 lead early but then scored eight consecutive points and 11 of the next 12 to take a commanding 18-6 lead that the home team would not relinquish, cruising to the 30-15 game win and the 3-0 match victory.

For the evening, the Ravens recorded a team hitting percentage of .253, with 40 kills and only 15 errors. The home team was also helped out by the River Hawks, who made 30 errors along with 31 kills for a .007 team hitting percentage.

Franklin Pierce (11-10, 5-2 NE-10), having risen above the .500 mark for the second time this season, will look to improve on its excellent 8-1 mark on the home court on Saturday, when the Ravens host Northeast-10 foe Saint Rose at 1 p.m. at the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse. UMass Lowell (6-13, 3-4 NE-10) will take on the same Golden Knights on Friday evening in Lowell.