Bruce piles up 14 kills

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (October 13, 2011) – Sophomore middle Ashley Bruce (Hampton Falls, N.H.) hit a match-best .481 and notched a team-high 14 kills on Thursday night, but the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to Southern Connecticut State in Northeast-10 Conference play at Pelz Gymnasium. Sophomore middle Sarah Beres led all players with 20 kills and hit .395 in the victory for SCSU.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 9-9 overall (3-4 Northeast-10), while Southern Connecticut State improves to 15-6 (5-4 Northeast-10). Franklin Pierce won the first set, 25-21, but SCSU answered with consecutive victories of 25-20, 25-22 and 25-16 to take the four-set victory.

For Franklin Pierce, Bruce led three players in double digits offensively, as she was joined by freshman outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and sophomore right side Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who finished with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Sophomore middle Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo.) added seven kills of her own. The offensive quartet worked off the set of sophomore Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who dished out 39 assists.

Defensively, sophomore libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) led all players with 27 digs, as three Ravens tallied double digits defensively as well. Ray finished with 14 digs to complete her third straight double-double, while sophomore defensive specialist Michelle Marguette (North Kingstown, R.I.) added 10 more. At the net, Jackson led Franklin Pierce with five blocks (one solo).

For Southern Connecticut State, there were still three more players in double digits behind Beres, as the Owls piled up 59 kills on the night. Sophomore outside hitter Lauren McVey picked up 12 kills, while senior outside hitter Megan Lyons and senior right side Megan Hiss added 10 apiece. All four worked through the set of junior Kimberly Lachowicz, who handed out a match-best 53 assists.

Defensively, four SCSU players reached double digits as well, as Lyons (16 digs), McVey (12) and Hiss (11) all completed double-doubles. Junior libero Vanessa Sullivan led the Owls with 21 digs, while Beres and Hiss collected three blocks each up front.

The Ravens return to the court on Tuesday, Oct. 18, when they travel to Saint Michael's for a Northeast-10 Conference match. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Ross Sports Center in Colchester, Vt. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Saturday, Oct. 22 against Saint Rose at 1 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).