Jackson hits .500 with seven kills

RINDGE, N.H. (October 23, 2012) – Junior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) hit .448 on her way to a match-high 14 kills, served up six aces and added 10 digs to finish off her double-double on Tuesday night as the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team swept to a 3-0 win over Saint Michael's in Northeast-10 Conference play at Franklin Pierce's Fieldhouse. As a team, Franklin Pierce piled up 15 aces on the evening.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 13-12 (6-2 Northeast-10), while Saint Michael's falls to 10-9 (2-6 Northeast-10). The Ravens opened the match with a dominant, 25-10 win, before finishing off the sweep with a pair of 25-20 victories.

The Ravens took control from the get-go on Tuesday night, winning 15 of the first 19 points on the way to the match-opening, 25-10, first-set victory. Leading 8-4, Ray put down her first kill of the evening to get the ball back for the Ravens on the serve of junior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.). Miller ran off six straight points to push the run to 7-0 and give Franklin Pierce a 15-4 lead. The Ravens would never look back, as they trailed in a set for just four points all night.

Ray was the only player in the match to reach double digits in kills, though junior middle Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo.) added seven kills and hit a match-best .500 (minimum 10 attempts) with just one error over 12 swings. The duo combined for more than half of Franklin Pierce's 40 kills. The Ravens ran the offense primarily through junior setter Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who dished out a match-high 27 assists. Miller added four aces, as the Ravens reached double digits in aces for the eighth time in 2012.

Defensively, Miller led all players with 16 digs, while Svorinic chipped in eight to narrowly miss a double-double of her own. Jackson led all players with three blocks (one solo).

For Saint Michael's, senior outside hitter Katie Walsh (7 kills) and junior middle Chelsey Covitz (6) led the offense, though the pair hit just .130 and .065, respectively, as the Purple Knights mustered only a .118 attack percentage as a team. Junior setter Jess McLeod quarterbacked the attack with 22 assists.

On the other side of the net, senior libero Courtney Dunne led the team with 13 digs, while McLeod added 11 to complete her double-double. Covitz led the Purple Knights with two blocks (one solo).

The Ravens return to the court on Friday, Oct. 26, when they travel to Le Moyne for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Ted Grant Court in Syracuse, N.Y. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Friday, Nov. 2 against Adelphi at 7 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).