SPRINGFIELD, Mass.  (March 16, 2021) – The Franklin Pierce University volleyball program hit the hardwood for the first time in 476 calendar days when they traveled to American International College and were beaten in five sets 3-2 (22-25, 25-11. 25-23, 21-25, 11-15) by the Yellow Jackets Tuesday night at the Henry A. Butova Gymnasium. The setback sends the Ravens to 0-1 while the Yellow Jackets move to 1-0 on the year.

The Ravens attack was centered around outside hitter Tessa Brandt (Foster, R.I.) who paced the Crimson and Gray with 13 kills and 13 digs in a double-double effort. In her first collegiate contest, outside hitter Morgan Schmutzler (Lockport, Ill.) tallied 11 kills, seven digs, and three blocks.

Junior outside hitter Cierra Dolan (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) recorded a match-high .700 hitting percentage while middle hitter Ingrid Lindstrom (Dudley, Mass.) had a contest-best six total blocks, the second-highest total of her career. Right side hitter Mariah Robles (West Covina, Calif.) had a match-best five aces while Ellie Ivanova (Sofia, Bulgaria) chipped in a game-high 22 digs.

For the hosts, Dora Butkovic was set for attacks a whopping 53 times and recorded 23 kills to go with 17 digs. Andrea Serra had 15 kills and nine digs and Naomi Eckert handed out 47 assists.

The Ravens outhit the Yellow Jackets .239-to-.197 but recorded 36 fewer attacks than their counterparts. FPU also tallied 20 blocks to AIC's two.

Pierce got on the board in the opening set when Lauren Herrera (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) set Dolan for the match opening kill. Brandt then took service and plopped an ace right in the direction of Claudia Gonzalez to move the Ravens in front 2-0. The home team took their first lead 5-4 when Butkovic buried the ball into the floor. Both teams swapped points and possessions and AIC took a three-point lead 15-12 via four in a row, three kills, and one ace. Their edge grew to five, 19-14 thanks to an Eckert ace. The Ravens didn't back down, behind by four, and tied the set up 22-22 off an attack error, but AIC scored the final three points to take the first set.

FPU jumped ahead first in the second set and really never looked back. They hit .565 as a team with three kills each from Schmutzler, Brandt, and Dolan. Holding an 11-7 set two edge, FPU produced five straight points, a Brandt kill, two Herrera aces, and two Yellow Jacket attack errors to lead by nine 16-7. Leading 19-11, FPU put home the final six points including three Robles aces to win the set 25-11 and tie the match 1-1.

The Ravens drew first blood in the third set but fell behind 13-8 off a ball-handling error. They slowly began to chip away at their deficit with Kennedy Garnhart (Colorado Springs, Colo.) dropping in an ace to put her team behind by one, 17-16. A couple of possessions passed when a dual block by Dolan and Robles knotted the third set at 18-18. The set remained a one-score game and the lead changed a few times over the final possessions. A service error and a bad set wrapped up the all-important third set for the Ravens as they led the match 2-1.

For the first time all match, AIC took the early lead, however three straight by Pierce put them ahead 7-5. Their two-point lead held true at 14-12 following a Schmutzler kill, but AIC went on a 7-2 scoring binge to lead 19-16 and forcing the Ravens into a timeout. AIC took a four-point lead in the set and really never looked back tying the match at 2-2. In the match deciding fifth set, Pierce vaulted ahead 5-2 when Robles and Schmutzler skied up high for the double stuff. AIC looked to cool the Ravens with a timeout, but Schmutzler had other ideas completing a set by Herrera pushing FPU ahead 6-2. AIC roared back to tie the set 8-8 via an Eckert ace. The Ravens regained the lead briefly until AIC outscored the Ravens 7-2 over the final possessions.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://fpuravens.com). 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 apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://www.shopfpuravens.com) You can also follow the volleyball program on Twitter (https://twitter.com/FPURavensVB) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fpuravensvb/).