WEST CHESTER, Pa. (September 4, 2021) – The Franklin Pierce University volleyball team improve to 2-2 on the season after splitting a doubleheader with Jefferson and Millersville at the Ram Fest, hosted by West Chester University, on Saturday afternoon at Hollinger Field House.

The Ravens fell to Jefferson, 3-0 (20-25, 25-27, 27-29) in the first match of the day, before coming back from losses in the first two sets of the second match to win 3-2 (23-25, 17-25, 25-20, 25-19, 15-10) over Millersville.  

Match 1: Jefferson 3, Franklin Pierce 0 (20-25, 25-27, 27-29)

Franklin Pierce and Jefferson kept within one to two points from each other early in the first set. The Rams had a slight edge on the Ravens after a couple of service aces and kills to make it an 11-6 contest. Three attack errors from Jefferson resulted in FPU to close the gap to 11-9, before kills from freshman Avery Theriault (West Hartford, Conn.) and junior Mariah Robles (West Covina, Calif.) to knot it up 11 apiece. Jefferson was able to maintain the lead for the remainder of the set after collecting five straight points to increase the score 16-11. The Crimson and Grey were able to get a few mor points in between, but the Rams ultimately took the set to a final of 25-20.

Early in the second set, Franklin Pierce rose to a quick 12-4 lead. Jefferson came back within three when they earned five consecutive points due to a kill from Sam Mann and a few attack errors by the Ravens, making it a 12-9 set. The two teams went back and forth with a few points, as FPU remained ahead, 23-20. The Rams' Morgan Ritchie got a kill that tied the game up 23-23, before she recorded an attack error that allowed Franklin Pierce to get the point back. A couple more ties saw the score at 25-25, but Ritchie and Kerrigan Candra registered a kill each for the Rams to win the set with a final score of 27-25.

The Ravens jumped ahead to a 19-13 lead in the final set of the match. Totaling five straight points, once again, Jefferson closed the gap with FPU still leading, 19-18. After two more ties between the two teams, Franklin Pierce pulled ahead, 24-21. Four more ties occurred in the set, with the final tie coming from a kill by Robles to make it 27-27. Candra recorded two kills for Jefferson, ending the match 29-27.

Freshman Hannah Hillis (San Clemente, Calif.) led the team in kills (13) and digs (13). Junior Tessa Brandt (Foster, R.I.) finished the match with 10 kills and two aces. Senior Kennedy Garnhart (Colorado Springs, Colo.) amassed a team leading 21 assists and added nine digs of her own. Sophomore Maddie Ward (Wolfeboro, N.H.) tallied a game-high three aces and produced 18 assists. Senior Cierra Dolan (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), Robles and Theriault contributed two blocks each, including ono solo block apiece for Robles and Theriault, to lead all players.

For the Rams, Candra led the way with 12 kills with Jess Molan and Ritchie following close behind with 11 and 10, respectively. Ritchie tallied a team-high four aces in the match. The offense worked off the sets of Kristine Guenther, who dished out 38 assists to lead Jefferson. Cameron Johnson produced 14 digs, while Molen added 12 more. Gianna Napoleon had a team-leading three blocks (two solo).

Match 2: Franklin Pierce 3, Millersville 2 (23-25, 17-25, 25-20, 25-19, 15-10)

After the first two sets of the match went in Millersville's favor, the Ravens were able to come back and take set three. Millersville took a 11-5 lead right out the gate in the set. With a few back-and-forth points, the Ravens were able to close within eight, before earning four straight points. The two teams tied for the first time in the set at 16-16, and again at 17-17. The Crimson and Grey tallied two points thanks to a pair of aces from Ward to edge out Millersville 19-17, and never looked back as they rounded out the set with a final score of 25-20.

In the fourth set, Franklin Pierce grabbed an early 2-0 lead and was able to maintain its lead throughout. The Ravens finished the set with 15 kills as they totaled a final score of 25-19 to force a fifth set.

Franklin Pierce and Millersville exchanged points, eventually knotting it up at 5-5. Four consecutive points for the Crimson and Grey from a pair of kills by Robles and Dolan and two aces by Dolan pushed them to 9-5 lead. Although Millersville was able to record four more points, it was not enough as the Ravens were able to convert the match point for a final score of 15-10.

Brandt tallied a team-high 17 kills and added 18 digs. Garnhart provided a staggering 31 assists and recorded six digs, one ace and one block. Morgan Schmutzler (Lockport, Ill.) led the team in digs with 20, while Dolan earned a game-high four service aces and a team-leading five blocks (three solo). Ward and Hillis contributed three aces of their own and Hillis added 13 kills.

On the other side of the net, Lauren Lucas recorded 15 kills for Millersville, with Caitlyn Callahan and Kylie Airesman following close behind with 14 and 13 kills, respectively. Emma Ludwig produced 52 assists and Rebecca Dalstad contributed 21 digs. Ludwig and Dalstad had two aces each during the match. Sarah Leininger totaled a team-high three blocks (two solo).

Franklin Pierce sets for the Wildcat Invitational in Wilmington, Del., hosted by Wilmington (Del.), on Friday, September 10. The Ravens will play a pair of matches, taking on Chestnut Hill at 10 a.m., before facing host Wilmington (Del.), at 4 p.m.