Kleinschmidt totals five blocks

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (September 29, 2012) – Junior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) piled up 25 digs on Saturday afternoon, but the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team was defeated, 3-1, on the road by New Haven in Northeast-10 Conference play at Charger Gymnasium. Sophomore middle Kristy Atufunwa hammered out 25 kills and hit .395, both match-bests, to lead the way for New Haven.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 7-10 (1-1 Northeast-10), while New Haven improves to 9-1 (3-0 Northeast-10). Franklin Pierce was defeated in the first two sets, 25-15 and 25-21, before taking the second after going into extra points, 29-27. The Chargers finished off the match with a 25-13 win in the fourth set.

For Franklin Pierce, both sophomore outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and freshman outside hitter Madison Duffy (Bethel, Conn.) finished with eight kills to lead the team, with the former hitting .286. Junior middle Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo.) and freshman middle Lina Kleinschmidt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) added seven kills each, with Jackson hitting a team-high .294 with two errors over 17 attempts. The Ravens ran the offense through junior setter Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and freshman setter Kellee Cranston (Reno, Nev.), who totaled 18 and 15 assists, respectively.

Defensively, Miller was joined in double digits by junior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who picked up 18 digs. At the net, Kleinschmidt led the team with five blocks (three solo), while Jackson added four block assists.

For New Haven, Atufunwa led three players in double digits offensively, as she was joined by junior middle Amber Cannady (14 kills) and freshman outside hitter Kristen Lee. Senior outside hitter Keidy Candelaria chipped in eight kills, while no other Charger recorded more than three. Sophomore setter Kaulana Ane quarterbacked the New Haven offense all afternoon, as she finished with a match-best 52 assists. Candelaria served up eight aces for the Chargers.

Defensively, four players reached double digits in digs for New Haven: Lee (21), Candelaria (19), Ane (12) and graduate student libero Bai Zhang (10). Both Lee and Ane completed double-doubles. At the net, Atufunwa matched Kleinschmidt with five blocks (two solo).

The Ravens return to the court on Tuesday, Oct. 2, when they travel to Southern New Hampshire for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at SNHU Fieldhouse in Manchester, N.H. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Saturday, Oct. 6 against Stonehill at 1 p.m. and New York Tech at 3 p.m.

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' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).