Lindstrom and Brandt’s Nine Kills Each Not Enough in Loss to Bentley

WALTHAM, Mass. (October 8, 2019) – Franklin Pierce University volleyball freshman middle hitter Ingrid Lindstrom (Dudley, Mass.) and freshman outside hitter Tessa Brandt (Foster, R.I.) produced a team-high nine kills as the Ravens dropped a Northeast-10 Conference contest to Bentley University 3-0 (16-25, 20-25, 12-25) Tuesday evening at the Dana Center. The win, the 10th in a row for the Falcons moves them to 14-4, 4-0 NE10 and the loss evens up the crimson and grey's mark at 7-7 overall (1-2 NE10).

Bentley could not contain Lindstrom in their second meeting this year. Earlier in the Falcons 3-0 sweep of the Ravens, Lindstrom chipped in only two kills off 10 attack attempts (.100%) with three blocks. This time around she was more efficient with nine kills off 16 total attacks (.375%) Brandt matched her with nine kills and manufactured four digs on defense.

Kirsten Segaline carried the Falcons to victory with a game-high 13 kills, six digs on defense and a .357 hitting percentage. Rachel Bruno joined her teammate in double-figures with 11 kills while hitting a robust .526. She also added two blocks for good measure. Setter Xio Lopp produced 41 assists and 10 digs on the defensive side.

In the first set, the Falcons held a 7-3 edge off a Bruno kill. Down by eight, the Ravens recorded three straight points to pull within five, 14-9 thanks to a Lindstrom kill. Bentley kept the five-point margin and doubled it off a run of five consecutive markers to lead 22-12. Pierce would not back down as they dropped the deficit to eight, 24-16 before Murphy clinched the set.

Raven freshman right side hitter Mariah Robles (West Covina, Calif.) started the second set with a kill on the right pin. Bentley tied the score 2-2 before Lindstrom attacked at the right pin putting Pierce ahead 3-2. A 6-1 Falcon spurt stopped by a service error made the score 8-5 in favor of the home team. Four straight by Bentley including a Bruno ace put the margin to 12-5. Three miscues for Bentley over their next four serves brought the Raven deficit down to five 13-8.

With the Falcons in front 16-10, back-to-back kills by Brandt at the left pin and senior middle hitter Abigail Garnhart (Colorado Springs, Colo.) in the middle combined with a Bentley attack error dropped the margin to three, 16-13. Bentley immediately got those three points back to re-establish a six-point lead. Pierce eventually brought the score down to four, 22-18. A couple of serves later, Brandt made it a three-point game, however, Bentley notched the final two points to lead 2-0 in the match.

The Falcons jumped out to a 6-1 advantage early. Trailing by six, 9-3, the Ravens pulled within four, 9-5 off a Brandt kill and an attack error. The hosts would go on to outscore Pierce 16-7 over the rest of the third set.

The Ravens remain on the road Saturday when they return to the Bay State for a showdown at conference opponent Stonehill College set for 1:00 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/).