MANCHESTER, N.H. (April 22, 2021) – Sophomore Mariah Robles (West Covina, Calif.) hit .529 with 10 kills on Thursday night, but the rest of the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team mustered just 15 more kills in the match, as the Ravens suffered a 3-0 defeat (25-18, 25-20, 25-22) on the road at Saint Anselm to wrap up their spring season. Freshman Audrey Simmons hammered out 10 kills and hit .391 to lead the way for the Hawks at Soutenburgh Gym.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce closed out its abbreviated season at 1-4, while Saint Anselm opened its spring at 1-0.

Already leading 2-0, Saint Anselm opened the third set on a 10-3 run, highlighted by back-to-back aces from senior Elise Jolly. Franklin Pierce claimed the next four points, but then Saint Anselm did the same, to make it 14-7. After some back-and-forth, Franklin Pierce put up a 9-4 run, to trim a 16-9 deficit all the way down to 20-18. The Hawks opened it back up to 23-19, and then the Ravens made one final surge, as three straight points pulled them within a point at 23-22. However, Saint Anselm staved off the comeback as Jolly and freshman Audrey Simmons put away consecutive kills to finish things off.

Behind Robles, the Franklin Pierce offense sputtered, as no other Raven had more than five kills and the team hit just .197 on the evening. Junior Lauren Herrera (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) swung at a .429 clip, but it was over just seven attempts, and she finished with four kills. Senior Ellie Ivanova (Sofia, Bulgaria) led the team with seven digs, while sophomore Tessa Brandt (Foster, R.I.) added three aces and six digs.

Meanwhile, the Hawks put together a balanced attack in the victory. Simmons led Saint Anselm with her 10 kills for the day, while senior Jordan Schamp added nine more and hit .500 to pace a Hawk attack which posted a .278 attack percentage. The offense ran through sophomore Michelle Henwood, who dished out 22 assists on the day and served up six aces as well. Simmons and sophomore Caroline Belmontez each recorded seven digs for the Hawks on the defensive side of the net.