GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (December 3, 2015) – The Franklin Pierce University Ravens Volleyball team saw their season come to an end on Thursday afternoon, as their run in the NCAA East Regional was cut short by the Dowling College Lions by a score of 3-0, with each set finishing at 25-18 in favor of Dowling. The tournament was hosted by Adelphi University, the top seed of the regional.

With the loss, the Ravens end their season with a respectable record of 18-11, which included their best conference finish (second) in program history. For Dowling, they improve to 26-7 overall and advance to the NCAA East Regional Semi-Final, where they will play second-seeded Bridgeport.

The Ravens came prepared, making key plays in the first set to keep even with the Golden Lions. Junior Aiden Garcia (Eagle Pass, Texas) and sophomore Hannah St. Jean (Olympia, Wash.) each made big plays at the net with blocks, forcing Dowling to switch up some points of attack. The score sat 12-12 halfway through before Dowling began their climb to a big lead.

The Golden Lions got big plays in the first set from Mikalah Hughes and Weronika Wiezik, as they combined for 11 kills and the pair of Dowling blocks in the set. Their play pushed Dowling to a 25-18 win, going up 1-0 in the match.

Franklin Pierce did just the same in set two, tying the set at 9-9 before Dowling took off again. A 7-1 run gave the Golden Lions a 16-11 lead midway through. But that didn't keep the Ravens down, as they nailed down four points in a row with attack errors from Dowling, bringing them back within two at 16-14.

After a Dowling timeout, a kill from freshman Katie Leidhold (Acushnet, Mass.) brought the Ravens within one at 16-15. But a few Ravens mistakes led to a Dowling 8-2 run, and the set win 25-18.

With one last effort in set three, the crimson and grey started out strong with two points right off the bat. Sophomore Hannah Runge (Deltona, Fla.) started things off with an ace, followed by a kill from sophomore Madison Klusendorf (Santa Maria, Calif.). After things tied at 8-8, Dowling once again took control and jumped to a 13-9, leading to a Ravens timeout.

With the stoppage, the Ravens began a late push, getting the score to 18-15 with more key blocks up front. However, that would be as close as the Ravens would come, as the Golden Lions shut the door and took the set 25-18, and the win, 3-0.

Franklin Pierce got a solid match from Garcia, who finished with a team-best seven kills and a .333 attack percentage. Senior Sarah MacHugh (Red Hook, N.Y.) did her part on defense with 23 digs. Garcia, St. Jean, and freshman Abigail Sonuga (Haverhill, Mass.) each played big at the net, as they were able to muster up 8.5 blocks, with Klusendorf adding in a lone solo block.

For Dowling, Wiezik smacked home a match-leading 15 kills, while Hughes finished with 11 but led all players with a .666 attack percentage. Four Golden Lions finished with double-digit digs, with Taylor Takeda finishing with a team-leading 18. Kayla Dillman facilitated the offense, tossing out 35 assists on the night.

Hampering the Ravens quest for a victory on Thursday was a tough offensive attack, as they hit -.016 as a team over the three sets.

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).