Swiderski, Jackson add 10 kills each

RINDGE, N.H. (November 3, 2012) – Freshman middle Lina Kleinschmidt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) tied for the match lead with 12 kills, hit a match-best .478 and put back five blocks (two solo) on Saturday afternoon to lead the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Pace in Northeast-10 Conference play at the Fieldhouse. Franklin Pierce hit .218 on the afternoon, while holding Pace to just .057 over 158 attempts, thanks to nine blocks and 80 digs.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 17-13 (10-3 Northeast-10), while Pace falls to 14-16 (8-4 Northeast-10). Franklin Pierce stormed out of the gate to a 25-12 first-set victory, before Pace answered with a 25-22 victory in the second. From there, Franklin Pierce finished things off in four sets, 25-16, 25-20.

Already up two sets to one, the Ravens built up a five-point lead multiple times in the fourth set, though Pace kept fighting back. Leading 21-20, Franklin Pierce finally came up with the run the Setters would not have time to answer. Junior right side Ashley Bruce (Hampton Falls, N.H.) put away a kill and then came up with a solo block on an attack by Pace senior outside hitter Nora Rugova to force a Pace timeout at 23-20. The timeout did not slow the onslaught however, as junior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) served up an ace immediately after the timeout and then Rugova hit a ball into the net to end the match.

Behind Kleinschmidt for Franklin Pierce offensively, both junior middle Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo.) and sophomore outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) had 10 kills, while Ray chipped in eight more. It was a quieter day for the Ravens on the serve than it has been lately, as they committed nine service errors, though they put away seven aces spread across five servers along the way. Junior setter Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.) keyed the offense with a match-high 40 assists.

On the other side of the net, junior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) amassed 21 digs to lead a backrow effort that saw four players in double digits, as she was joined by Ray (15), Swiderski (14) and Svorinic (10). Kleinschmidt's five blocks led the effort at the net, while Bruce figured in on four (one solo).

For Pace, Rugova was the only player in double figures offensively, as she matched Kleinschmidt for the match lead with 12 kills. However, Rugova hit just .060 while doing it, as she committed nine errors over 50 attempts. Freshman outside hitter Megan Kurz, with nine kills while hitting .073, was the only other Pace offensive option with more than five kills. The Setters ran the offense through the set of sophomore Brooke Speyerer, who dished out 31 assists.

Defensively, senior libero Elyse Rowland led all players with 22 digs, and she was joined in double digits by Kurz (18) and Rugova (10). Both Kurz and freshman middle Brittani Muller contributed two block assists each.

The Ravens return to the court on Tuesday, Nov. 6, when they remain home to host American International in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Fieldhouse.

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). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce volleyball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).