Bridgeport Betters Ravens 3-0 Saturday Night

RINDGE, N.H. (October 5, 2019) – Franklin Pierce University volleyball senior middle hitter Abigail Garnhart (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had a team-best nine kills and hit .500 as the Ravens were defeated 3-0 (17-25, 21-25, 20-25) by non-conference opponent the University of Bridgeport Saturday evening at the Fieldhouse. The Ravens end their non-league games with a 6-5 record and the loss sends them to 7-6 overall on the season. The victory surges the Purple Knights forward to 14-3 overall.

Garnhart blocked two attempts, had one ace and chipped in a dig on the defensive side. Fellow middle hitter, freshman Ingrid Lindstrom (Dudley, Mass.) also had success at the net compiling eight kills, a .400 hitting percentage with three total blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Cierra Dolan (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) blocked a match-best four attempts while setter Mary Pease (East Haddam, Conn.) dished out 23 helpers in the defeat.

On the defensive side, libero Ellie Ivanova (Sofia, Bulgaria) had 17 digs and senior Jocelyn Moody (Biddeford, Maine) joined her teammate in double-figures with 11.

For the guests, Emily Burford recorded a match-high 14 kills. Teammate Amanda Hennemann added 13 kills and 14 digs on defense. Setter Carly Killorin compiled 41 assists and Klein Johnson manufactured 22 digs.

Bridgeport, the NCAA Division II leaders in aces per set, racked up 11 aces with six coming off the swing of Carly Killorin. Both teams had 13 blocks each at the net as well.

A dual block by Lindstrom and Dolan was part of an 8-1 start for the crimson and gray. Trailing 11-4, the Purple Knights pulled back within one using a key ace from Breanna Jones in the scoring spurt. A couple of service errors by UB put the Ravens down three, 18-15. A great dig by freshman Tessa Brandt (Foster, R.I.) led to a Dolan kill to keep it a three-point game. Holding a two-point lead, the Purple Knights notched six straight to win the first set.

The Ravens took an early 4-0 edge in the second set thanks to a freshman right-side hitter Mariah Robles (West Covina, Calif.) solo block at the pin. The Purple Knights responded with a 4-1 spurt of their own to come within one, 5-4. Leading 9-7, Lindstrom successfully killed off an attempt at the left pin to make it 10-7. With the game deadlocked 12-12, three consecutive points for Pierce, a Brandt and Garnhart block, a Garnhart kill and a Dolan solo block pushed the Ravens in front 15-12. Soon after, part of 7-1 Raven stretch, Lindstrom bashed another kill to put Pierce up 19-13. The Ravens squandered the advantage allowing Bridgeport to outscore them 12-2 to take the crucial second set.

The guests jumped in front 4-0 early on in the third set. Behind 7-2, a stuff of Burford by Dolan and Lindstrom made it a 7-3 game. The duo block sparked a 5-1 mini spurt to pull the Ravens within one 10-9 using back-to-back Garnhart middle mashes. Bridgeport reeled off eight in a row to lead 18-9 before eventually winning the set.

FPU travels away from campus on Tuesday for their next matchup with Bentley University at 7:00 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://fpuravens.com). 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 apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://fpuravens.com/store). You can also follow the volleyball program on Twitter (https://twitter.com/FPURavensVB) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fpuravensvb/).