Swiderski totals 25 kills across two matches

RINDGE, N.H. (October 20, 2012) – Sophomore outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) pounded out 15 kills and hit a team-best .278 on Saturday evening as the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team squeaked out a 3-2 win over LIU Post in non-conference play at Franklin Pierce's Fieldhouse. Earlier in the day, Swiderski had a team-high 10 kills against Southern Connecticut State, though the Ravens were swept in a Northeast-10 Conference match, 3-0.

With the split, Franklin Pierce moves to 12-12 (5-2 Northeast-10). With splits on the day, SCSU is now 19-6 (7-4 Northeast-10), while LIU Post sits at 18-11 (7-3 East Coast). In the middle match of the tri-match, LIU Post defeated SCSU, 3-1, in a non-conference contest.

In the first match, the Owls swept with set scores of 25-22, 25-18 and 25-17. In the nightcap, the Ravens took the first set, 25-23, before LIU Post rallied for a 2-1 lead with set wins of 25-20 and 29-27. However, Franklin Pierce would have the last rally, as they picked up 25-22 and 17-15 wins to earn the victory.

With the match against LIU Post knotted at 2-2, Franklin Pierce ran off the first three points of the decisive fifth set, though the Pioneers came back immediately to tie the set at 4-4. Later on, an attack error by Swiderski broke a 13-13 tie and gave LIU Post the first match point of the night at 14-13. A kill by junior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) staved off the point, and the Ravens fought off another one, at 15-14, on a kill by junior middle Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo.). That left the set tied at 15-15, and put the ball in the hands of freshman setter Kellee Cranston (Reno, Nev.). The Ravens won the next two points on her serve, thanks to a pair of attack errors by LIU Post, to win the match.

Swiderski was joined in double digits offensively by Ray and junior right side Ashley Bruce (Hampton Falls, N.H.), who had 14 and 12 kills, respectively, while freshman middle Lina Kleinschmidt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) added nine more. Ray had one of her most efficient hitting days of the year, as she joined Swiderski over .250 a5 .255 with just two errors over 47 swings. The Ravens ran the offense primarily through the set of junior Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who dished out a match-best 36 assists. As a team, the Ravens served up 13 aces, including four each from Ray and Swiderski.

Defensively, junior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) led the way with 25 digs, while Ray (24) and Svorinic (11) each finished in double digits as well to post double-doubles. Franklin Pierce collected just three blocks in the match, with Kleinschmidt figuring in on a team-high two (one solo).

For LIU Post, senior middle Lisa Delfs (24 kills) and junior middle Makamae Namahoe (22) shouldered most of the load offensively, as they combined for 46 kills, with the former hitting .353 over 51 attempts. Junior middle Susy Cricchi was the match's most efficient attacker, as she hit .379 while amassing 14 more kills against three errors over 29 attempts. The Pioneers worked off of a pair of setters, as sophomore Lulu Centro finished with 32 assists and freshman Monica Amador added 28 more.

Defensively, five Pioneers reached double digits in digs: freshman libero Rachel Ringor (23), sophomore middle Heather Adams (18), Namahoe (18), freshman outside hitter Harlee Meyers (17) and Centro (11), with Centro and Namahoe both recording double-doubles. LIU Post was a menace at the net all night, as the front line piled up 13 blocks, led by seven from Delfs (four solo). Namahoe and Cricchi figured in on five blocks each (one solo each).

Earlier in the day, against SCSU, Swiderski led a mostly anemic Franklin Pierce offense with 10 kills and hit .292 over 24 attempts, though the Ravens hit just .106 over 132 swings as a team. Ray added seven kills to place second on the team, but added nine errors as well to hit -.044 over 45 attempts. Svorinic again paced the offense with 30 assists. Freshman defensive specialist Sarah MacHugh (Red Hook, N.Y.) served up a match-best three aces.

Defensively, Miller led the way again with 18 digs, to finish with 43 over the two matches, while MacHugh (11) and Svorinic (10) each reached double digits. Svorinic finished the day with double-doubles in each match. The Ravens picked up six blocks in the day's first match, led by five block assists from Jackson.

For SCSU, junior middle Sarah Beres hit a match-best .385 (minimum 10 attempts) and led all players with 13 kills against just three errors over 26 attempts. She was joined in double figures by junior outside hitter Jade Black, who added 10 kills. The Owls worked off the set of senior Kimberly Lachowicz, who dished out a match-best 40 assists.

Defensively, four SCSU players recorded 10 or more digs: senior libero Vanessa Sullivan (19), Black (17), Beres (11) and freshman defensive specialist Morgan Carman (10), with Black and Beres both notching double-doubles. The Owls finished with eight blocks, led by five from senior middle Syriah Celestine (three solo).

The Ravens return to the court on Tuesday, Oct. 23, when they remain home to host Saint Michael's in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in the Fieldhouse.

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).