OAKDALE, N.Y (October 30, 2015) – The Franklin Pierce University Ravens Volleyball team hasn't been accustom to losing as of late, as they have been on a five game winning streak and winners of nine of their last 10. Unfortunately for the Ravens, those statistics came to a screeching halt on Friday night, as they were defeated by the Dowling College Golden Lions in a non-conference matchup on the road in straight sets, 3-0, at Dowling Gymnasium.

With the loss, the Ravens drop to 14-7 overall (7-1 Northeast-10) but now might be pushed towards a bubble spot in regional rankings. With the win, Dowling improves to 21-5 on the season.

The Ravens didn't have much control in the match, as they were outplayed on the offensive side of the ball. The Golden Lions outscored Franklin Pierce in kills over the three sets 54-20, while each team made minimal errors as the Ravens won that battle by only committing 13 attacking errors compared to Dowling's 16.

All three sets were finished in timely fashion that did not fall in the Ravens favor, as Franklin Pierce was held under 20 points in each set. The Ravens let minimally in set one early, tied and took a short lead in set two, and never were able to grab a lead in set three before the Golden Lions pulled away for victory in each set, with scores of 25-11, 25-16, and 25-17 to give Dowling the 3-0 win.

Franklin Pierce was led by freshman Katie Leidhold (Acushnet, Mass.) and sophomore Hannah St. Jean (Olympia, Wash.). Leidhold finished with a team high seven kills, while St. Jean recorded six kills lbut lead the team in attack percentage at .200. Sophomore Hannah Runge (Deltona, Fla.) recorded 18 assists for the offense on the night. Defensively, seven Ravens recorded digs, led by senior Sarah MacHugh (Red Hook, N.Y.) and sophomore Madison Klusendorf (Santa Maria, Calif.) who each had eight apiece.

Dowling pounded the ball to the floor all night thanks to 22 kills by Weronika Wiezik, who also hit .429 in domination of the Ravens front line and defense. Dragana Jelovac recorded 12 kills while hitting .550, and Katarzyna Klocek rounded out the top offensive players with 10 kills while hitting .368 on the night.

Kayla DIllman was the offensive facilitator for Dowling, recording 43 assists, while defensively the Golden Lions proved solid with four players in double-digit digs, led by Taylor Takeda with 12.

The Ravens return to the court tomorrow on Halloween, October 31 when they travel to Southern Connecticut State. Game time is set for 12 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).