Katie Ristow collects 20 kills on the afternoon

Box Score vs. Merrimack
Box Score vs. C.W. Post

RINDGE, N.H. (October 10, 2009) – Senior Katie Ristow (Miami, Fla.) tallied 20 kills over two matches on Saturday afternoon, but the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team was defeated by both Merrimack and C.W. Post in a tri-match at Franklin Pierce’s Fieldhouse. The match with Merrimack was a Northeast-10 Conference affair, while the match against C.W. Post was of the non-conference variety.

The Ravens were defeated by Merrimack, 3-1, with Merrimack winning the first two sets by 25-21 scores. Franklin Pierce picked up a 25-22 win in the third set, but Merrimack closed out the match with a 25-8 win in the fourth set. Against C.W. Post, Franklin Pierce was swept, 3-0, by scores of 25-22, 25-18 and 25-21. In between the two matches, C.W. Post defeated Merrimack, 3-1, in a non-conference match.

With the losses, Franklin Pierce falls to 5-15 (2-5 Northeast-10). C.W. Post improves to 11-8 (5-1 East Coast) with the pair of wins, while Merrimack is now 16-5 (5-2 Northeast-10) after the split.

Against Merrimack, Ristow led the way for Franklin Pierce with 11 kills, while sophomore Dana Rowinski (Dix Hills, N.Y.) added nine of her own and junior setter Pamela Walker (Chino Hills, Calif.) dished out 27 assists. Defensively, Rowinski led four Ravens in double digits with 14 digs. She was joined by Ristow, Walker and junior libero Chelsie Kohout (Harrison Township, Mich.), who tallied 13, 11 and 11 digs, respectively. Seniors Caitlynn Parnell (Medina, Texas) and Megan Feldmeth (South Pasadena, Calif.) each registered three block assists.

For the Warriors, junior Megan Murray led the way with 15 kills and was joined in double digits offensively by junior Molly Cindric (11 kills) and freshman Jenna Reilly (10). Cindric led all players with a .412 hitting percentage, as she committed only three errors over 17 attacks. Junior setter Elyse Lorenz quarterbacked the offense, as she handed out a match-best 39 assists. Defensively, junior libero Alyssa Pickert led the way with 23 digs, while Cindric and Lorenz each finished off double-doubles with 13 and 11 digs, respectively. Murray recorded a match-best five block assists.

After three sets of less-than-stellar offense by both sides, Merrimack put the hammer down in the fourth set to close out the match. The Warriors recorded 12 kills without an error over 26 attacks to hit .462 on their way to the 25-8 victory. Already holding an 8-4 lead, Merrimack rattled off 17 of the match’s last 21 points, including a five-point run behind the serve of Pickert and a four-point run on the serve of Cindric.

Against C.W. Post, Ristow again led the Ravens, this time with nine kills, while Feldmeth contributed five and Walker dished out 20 assists. Defensively, Kohout led the club with nine digs while Feldmeth recorded a match-best four blocks (one solo).

For the Pioneers, freshman Kirsten Taylor led the way with 11 kills, while senior Kerrie Heitner piled up nine kills and a .571 hitting percentage with one error over 14 attempts. Junior setter Amanda Ostapow handed out a match-best 32 assists. Defensively, Juniors Marilena Guadagini and Lauren Brown each tallied eight digs for C.W. Post, while Heitner led the team with three blocks (one solo).

The Pioneers hit .202 in the match (36 kills, 18 errors, 89 attacks), highlighted by a .308 showing in the second set, in which they tallied 11 kills to three errors over 26 attacks. Trailing 18-20 in the third set, C.W. Post collected seven of the next eight points to finish off the match with a 25-21 win. The run included five straight points on the serve of Taylor, who collected two aces and two kills on the stretch.

The Ravens return to the court on Friday, Oct. 16, when they remain home to host Assumption in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the Fieldhouse.