Three Ravens post double-digit kills vs. Caldwell

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. (September 21, 2012) – Junior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) racked up 20 kills on Friday evening, but the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team was defeated, 3-1, by Caldwell in non-conference play on the first day of the Pace Tournament, hosted by Pace University at Goldstein Fitness Center. Later in the day, Franklin Pierce was shutout by Texas A&M International, 3-0.

With the losses, Franklin Pierce falls to 5-7 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Caldwell improves to 8-7 (1-1 Central Atlantic) and Texas A&M International improves to 5-6 (1-3 Heartland). Against Caldwell, the Ravens fell 25-18, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21. Against Texas A&M International, they were defeated 25-17, 25-19, 25-11.

Against Caldwell, Ray had her most effective match of the season thus far, as she led all players with 20 kills while committing just three errors to hit .321 over 53 attempts. Junior middle Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo.) and sophomore outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) followed with 13 and 12 kills, respectively, with the former hitting a match-best .522 with just one error in 23 attempts. The trio, and the rest of the Ravens offense, ran through junior setter Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who dished out a match-best 46 assists.

Defensively, junior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) led all players with 19 digs, while both Ray and Svorinic finished double-doubles with 17 and 11 digs, respectively. At the net, Jackson registered four block assists.

All told, each team chalked up 58 kills, with the Ravens hitting .232 in 164 attempts and Caldwell hitting .210 over 157 swings. With the two teams posting very similar numbers offensively, Franklin Pierce effectively lost the match thanks to its 14 service errors and nine blocking errors.

For Caldwell, senior outside hitter Susan McDonough led the way with 17 kills, while freshman outside hitter Rachael DiLeonardo contributed 15 more and sophomore outside hitter Erica Harrell hit a team-best .500 and added eight kills. Junior setter Lisa Roth dictated the offense for the Cougars, as she finished with 44 assists.

Defensively, a quintet of Caldwell players reached double digits in digs, led by McDonough (17) and DiLeonardo (16), who both notched double-doubles, as did Roth, who picked up 11 digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Jaclyn Del Cid and senior defensive specialist Maddy Amon had 12 digs each. At the net, Harrell tallied two block assists.

Against Texas A&M International, no Franklin Pierce player would record more than five kills, as the Ravens hit .021 over 94 attempts as a team. Jackson, Swiderski and freshman middle Lina Kleinschmidt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) all finished with five kills each, with Kleinschmidt hitting a team-best .231 over 13 attempts. Svorinic recorded 16 assists in the loss, while Swiderski served up four aces.

On the other side of the ball, Miller led all players with 21 digs, and Ray reached double digits again with 11 digs. At the net, Ray and Jackson figured in on four blocks each.

For Texas A&M International, sophomore outside hitter Alex Ciszek led all players with 11 kills, while freshman outside hitter Toriana Goods put away 10 more. Junior outside hitter Miranda Pratt hit a match-high .533 with nine kills and just one error over 15 swings. The Dustdevils ran the offense through senior setter Daria Winckler, who recorded a match-best 28 assists. Ciszek led the team with three aces.

Defensively, junior defensive specialist Desiree Ortiz tallied 20 digs, while freshman middle Paige Criss collected five block assists.

The Ravens wrap up play at the Pace Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 22, with two more matches. Franklin Pierce will face St. Mary's (Texas) at 10 a.m. and Nova Southeastern at 2 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).