WEST HAVEN, Conn. (October 16, 2021) – The Franklin Pierce University volleyball program dropped to 8-8 (2-3 Northeast-10) on the season after falling, 3-1, to the University of New Haven.

Junior Ingrid Lindstrom (Dudley, Mass.) led the offense with 11 of the Ravens 33 kills on the night. Sophomore Morgan Schmutzler (Lockport, Ill.) contributed a team-leading 18 digs, while junior Tessa Brandt (Foster, R.I) added 16 of her own for the Ravens. Senior Kennedy Garnhart (Colorado Springs, Colo.) dished out a team high 17 assists and sophomore Maddie Ward (Wolfeboro, N.H.) added 11 more assists. Garnhart and Schmutzler each had two aces, and Lindstrom tallied four assists.

Franklin Pierce jumped to a 9-7 lead in the first set, before the Chargers collected four straight points to take an 11-9 lead. FPU and UNH traded points with the Ravens edging New Haven 16-15. Three points went UNH's way, but Franklin Pierce was able to knot it up at 19-19. The Crimson and Grey went on a 7-5 run, securing the match point to win 26-24.

The second set saw Franklin Pierce pull ahead to a 5-4 lead. UNH grabbed three consecutive points to lead 7-5. After taking the lead, the Chargers never looked back and clinched a 25-16 victory.

The Crimson and Grey took another lead to start the third set to make it a 3-2 match, but New Haven notched four straight points to edge out a 6-3 lead. Again, the Chargers went on to extend their lead and won 25-13.

In the fourth and final set, UNH took an early 4-1 lead, but three points that went the Ravens way allowed Franklin Pierce to make it a 4-4 draw. A few more ties brought the match to an 8-8 contest, before UNH grabbed eight consecutive points to pull ahead, 16-8. New Haven went on a 9-3 run and clinched the match point, winning 25-11.

The Ravens return to Northeast-10 Conference play next week on Tuesday, October 19, for a match against the American International College Yellow Jackets at 7 P.M. in the Field House.