WALTHAM, Mass. (October 3, 2015) – Freshman Katie Leidhold (Acushnet, Mass.) helped the ball find the floor a total of 17 times on Saturday afternoon, as she smacked that many kills to lead all players as the Franklin Pierce University Ravens volleyball team defeated the Bentley University Falcons by a final of 3-1 at the Dana Center.

With the win under their belt, the Ravens improve to 9-5 overall, and move to 3-0 in conference play. That keeps Franklin Pierce in a tie atop the conference standings. With the loss, Bentley drops to 9-6, and gives them their first conference loss, putting them at 2-1 in conference play.

It would be an understatement to say Franklin Pierce came out of the gates ready to go, as they dominated the first set of the match, winning the set 25-9 right off the bat. Bentley committed 11 total errors, while Franklin Pierce saw solid offense from sophomore Hannah St. Jean (Olympia, Wash.) and freshman Abigail Sonuga (Haverhill, Mass.) who recorded four kills apiece in the set. As a team, the Ravens would finish with an attack percentage of .526 for the set.

The second set would be a little more strenuous for the Ravens but would still come out in their favor. Despite taking a 20-12 lead in the set, Bentley would rattle off five points in a row to pull back to make it 20-17. After a Franklin Pierce point, Bentley cued up a couple more points to get to 21-19, and they would trade points up until 23-21. The Ravens then used two Bentley errors to close out the set and go up 2-0 in the match.

A set away from the win, the Ravens couldn't quite close the door, as Bentley bounced back and stole a set from Franklin Pierce taking a 25-22 win in set three. The Falcons were up by as much as five points at one point, but would surrender those points, as the set became 22-22. But two Franklin Pierce errors and a Bentley kill by Allie Rotkin sealed the deal for Bentley, bringing the match to 2-1.

But that's as close the Falcons would come, as the Ravens turned on the burners in set four, springing out to a 25-20 win after the set was at 20-20, claiming the match victory.

Leidhold's play stood out on both offense and defense, as she collected a double-double with 16 digs to pair with her 17 kills, while senior Sarah MacHugh (Red Hook, N.Y.) brought a top-notch defensive performance, leading all players with 22 digs. St. Jean was the only other Ravens in double-figure kills with 10, while Sonuga, junior Aiden Garcia (Eagle Pass, Texas), and sophomore Madison Klusendorf (Santa Maria, Calif.) were all the other Ravens with kills, each with eight apiece.

Defensively behind MacHugh was a strong showing from senior Catherine Purdy (Ossining, N.Y.) who notched 16 digs, while Hannah Runge (Deltona, Fla.) was a jack-of-all-trades by notching a double-double as well. Runge claimed 13 digs, but more importantly tossed around 38 assists.

For Bentley, Shannon Kelly led the way with 10 digs, while Rotkin passed around 20 assists. Defensively for the Falcons, Celia Cristofoli led the way with 17 digs.

The Ravens return to action to protect their four game win streak on Tuesday, October 13 when they travel to Springfield, Mass. To take on American International. Game time is set for 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' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).