NEWARK, Del. (September 10, 2021) – The Franklin Pierce University volleyball team swept Chestnut Hill and host Wilmington (Del.) in a doubleheader at the Wildcat Invitational on Friday at the WU Athletics Complex. The Ravens downed Chestnut Hill, 3-1, before their 3-0 victory over Wilmington (Del.).

With the two wins, Franklin Pierce improves to 4-2 on the year.

Match 1: Franklin Pierce 3, Chestnut Hill 1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21)

Junior Tessa Brandt (Foster, R.I.) led the team with 18 kills, while freshman Hannah Hillis (San Clemente, Calif.) tallied 15 kills. Hillis registered a team high 18 digs with Brandt and sophomore Maddie Ward (Wolfeboro, N.H.) following close behind with 17 digs of their own. Senior Kennedy Garnhart (Colorado Springs, Colo.) dished out 24 assists. Ward had 17 assists and Hillis earned three aces in the match. Senior Cierra Dolan (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) chalked up five blocks (two solo).

For the Griffins, Henielys Ramos recorded a team high 18 kills, while Erika Dubosky collected a match-high 21 digs. Mia Caporellie provided a match-high 29 assists for Chestnut Hill. Mikayla Grimes and Dubosky had three aces apiece, while Angela April totaled six blocks (two solo) to lead all players.

In the first set, the Ravens pulled ahead early with a 6-4 run. The Griffins were able to take the lead after earning five straight points to make it a 15-14 set. Late into the set, the two teams locked in at 18-18, before Franklin Pierce went on a 7-4 run to win the first point of the match, 25-22.

Chestnut Hill was able to grab the second point of the match on after tallying six consecutive points for a 10-9 set. The Ravens were able to tie it at 10 apiece, but a 15-11-point run allowed the Griffins to win 25-22.

Franklin Pierce and Chestnut Hill kept the third set close early on to make it an 8-8 stalemate. The Crimson and Grey were able to jump ahead to a score of 20-16 after a 12-8 run until three straight points went the Griffins way to make it 20-20. FPU was able to grab five more points to win the set, holding Chestnut Hill to only collecting one more point of their own for a final score of 25-21.

The Ravens were able to take the fourth set, despite an early lead from the Griffins. After a few ties, FPU tallied seven straight points to take the lead. Franklin Pierce maintained the lead throughout the set to win, 25-21.

Match 2: Franklin Pierce 3, Wilmington (Del.) 0 (30-32, 20-25, 23-25)

Hillis had a team-high 15 kills in the match versus Wilmington (Del.), hitting a .308 and recording 16 digs. Hillis also earned a match-high three aces. Sophomore Morgan Schmutzler (Lockport, Ill.) registered a match-high in digs with 26. Brandt tallied 12 kills and 13 digs in the match. Garnhart provided a staggering 23 assists and Ward followed with 18 of her own. Dolan led the way in blocks with four, including one solo.

The Wildcats' Mandy Behiels led the team in kills (16) and in digs (19). Heather Pedrick collected 12 kills and 13 digs, while Katie Bushong contributed 13 digs of her own. Bushong had a team-high 23 assists and Angel Oliver had a team-leading two aces. Oliver (two solo) and Dorie Moore (two assists) totaled two blocks each.

The Wildcats got an early jump to start the first set, leading 3-0, before the Ravens were able to grab four straight points to make it a 4-3 contest. Wilmington (Del.) collected five consecutive points, including two knot it up at 11 apiece. The Crimson and Grey came back with three straight points going their way to make it a 14-14 stalemate. FPU bounced back, going on a 11-9 run to earn the first point of the match with a score of 25-23.

The Ravens went on a 11-9 run early in the second set, before the two teams went back and forth for a few points to tie 13-13. Franklin Pierce got two points off a kill and an attack error to regain the lead. The Crimson and Grey did not look back for the rest of the set to win it 25-20.

In the final set, the Ravens and Wildcats went point for point at the start, coming to a 4-4 tie. Wilmington (Del.) pulled ahead by one point late after going on an 18-16 run to make it 21-20. Six more ties occurred to put the score at 28-28. A Kill from Hillis and an ace from Garnhart aided Franklin Pierce to a 30-28 score to complete the match.

The Ravens are back in action Saturday, September 11, to wrap up play at the Wildcat Invitational. Franklin Pierce is set for a 2 p.m. matchup against Jefferson.