RINDGE, N.H.  (March 23, 2021) – The Franklin Pierce University volleyball team returned to action on Tuesday in The Fieldhouse and were upended 3-0 (20-25, 22-25, 23-25) by American International University on Senior Night. The win sends the Yellow Jackets to 2-0 and the setback was the second of the year for the Ravens.

Senior Ellie Ivanova (Sofia, Bulgaria) was honored in a pregame ceremony for her contributions to the University and the athletic department. In the game, Ivanova led the Ravens in digs with 14.

For the second straight game, Tessa Brandt (Foster, R.I.) carried the load on offense for Pierce with 11 kills and 13 digs for a double-double. She also hit .333 in the contest. Ingrid Lindstrom (Dudley, Mass.) was set 17 times and came away with six kills (.294%) and chipped in a match-high three service aces. Cierra Dolan (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) tallied four kills, and a game-high three total blocks.

Andrea Serra complied a contest-best 18 kills with 10 digs. Dora Butkovic racked up a .483 hitting percentage with 15 kills and a match-high 16 digs. Naomi Eckert dished out 38 assists in the sweep.

The Ravens took a 6-4 lead a couple of possessions into the first set when Lindstrom rocked the ball to the floor. Holding a two-point edge, AIC went on an 8-2 mini spurt to move in front 14-10 off a Raven ball handling error. An AIC attack error kept the Raven deficit at four, 17-13, however, three straight by the guests including two Butkovic kills pushed the Yellow Jackets ahead 20-13. The Ravens did not waver and closed the gap to 21-20 due to a Kennedy Garnhart (Colorado Springs, Colo.) service ace, but AIC closed the first set with back-to-back aces by Janae Kelly.

Two consecutive Dolan kills to begin the second set gave the Ravens an early 2-0 advantage. AIC took the lead 4-2 notching four in a row including an Eckert ace. FPU stayed behind by two over the next couple of serves as Brandt hit one down the line for the successful kill at 9-7. A Raven attack error at 14-10 upped the margin to 15-10 for the away team and forced the Ravens into a timeout.

Following the stoppage, Lindstrom stepped up and swatted a kill attempt to the floor. Her block was the spark the Ravens needed and Mariah Robles (West Covina, Calif.) stepped in to serve and dropped home two aces right near Serra. Two straight attack errors and another Lindstrom kill regained the lead towards the Ravens side 16-15. AIC jumped back in the driver's seat and led 22-18 via an ace. FPU rallied to trail by two, however, Eckert skip set the ball to the open spot on the floor to give AIC the commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

In the third set, AIC staked out to an early 6-0 lead. The Ravens battled with Lindstrom serving as she put down three consecutive aces coupled with a few kills, AIC miscues, and a dual Robles and Dolan block to deadlock the game at 10-10. The Yellow Jackets moved back ahead 15-11 on the strength of a Raven attack error. FPU fought and clawed their way back into the match and were down one late, 23-22 and 24-23 due to two Serra errors until Butkovic ended the match with a kill to complete the sweep.

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/).