RINDGE, N.H. (November 18, 2019) – The no. 7 seeded Franklin Pierce University volleyball team is back in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Quarterfinals for the first time since 2016 as they prepare to travel to no. 2 seed American International College tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. in the Henry A. Butova Gym.

Pierce is back in the quarterfinals for the first time since their 2016 3-1 (17-25, 27-25, 18-25, 20-25) setback to the University of New Haven on November 15, 2016. Team captain Jocelyn Moody (Biddeford, Maine) is the only Raven on the current roster with NE10 Tournament experience as she tallied the set clinching ace in the second set Raven win.

FPU has lost their last eight quarterfinal matches going all the way back to the 2005 campaign when they took a five-setter, 3-2 (30-17, 24-30, 30-26, 23-30, 17-15) against the University of Massachusetts – Lowell to advance to their last semifinal appearance, 3-0 (20-30, 26-30, 23-30) sweep by Bentley University. Overall, the crimson and grey are 1-9 (.100) in the NE10 Championship tourney with the lone semifinal showing.

This marks the fifth consecutive year and the 11th over their past 12 seasons that the Yellow Jackets have made the NE10 Championship. Overall, AIC is 33-45 (.423) in the conference dance with 12 semifinal appearances, six final appearances, five runner-ups and one league championship which came all the way back in 1996. Last season, AIC (24-12, 11-3 NE10) was swept 3-0 (20-25, 18-25, 23-25) by Southern Connecticut State University in the championship game. However, the Yellow Jackets led by reigning NE10 Coach of the Year Matthew Cribbin earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and captured their second NCAA East Region Championship (2016, 2018) in their history.  

Since the Ravens joined the NE10 in 2000, they are 8-14 (.364) against the black and yellow. AIC has won the past five matches dating back to 2015. The Ravens defeated American International in 2014 when they went 2-0 versus them. Their last win, a 3-0 (25-11, 25-22, 28-26) decision happened on October 21, 2014, at The Fieldhouse. Catie Swiderski led all players with a match-high 14 kills and a team-best 14 digs in a double-double effort. She also hit .344 off 32 attack attempts. AIC was paced by 14 kills each from Annie Boele and Bailey Swan. Boele double-doubled with 17 digs and hit .333.

SCOUTING THE RAVENS

The Ravens earned the no. 7 seed in the tourney after opening the year as the preseason coaches' poll no. 12 ranked team out of 14 programs and completed head coach Stephanie Dragan's 11th season with a 13-11, 7-6 NE10 mark, their first overall record winning season since 2015 (18-11, 12-2 NE10). Pierce are road warriors as they have amassed a 7-3 mark as the away team. FPU kicked off their conference slate with an easy 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-10) win over Saint Michael's College to move to 7-4 overall and 1-0 NE10. They then suffered a six-game losing streak including two five-set losses to no. 4 regionally-ranked Saint Anselm College (18-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-17, 13-15) and AIC (25-23, 20-25, 25-18, 20-25, 11-15) to fall to 7-10, 1-5 NE10. With their season on the line and backs against the wall, the Ravens reeled off six wins in seven tries including a four-game winning streak with a huge 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 25-20) win over no. 8 regionally-ranked Adelphi University and two sweeps of Southern New Hampshire University (25-19, 25-19, 25-22) and Assumption College (25-19, 25-18, 25-16) to end the season.

On offense, the Ravens are led by the middle hitting tandem of one-time NE10 Player and Rookie of the Week Ingrid Lindstrom (Dudley, Mass.) and senior Abigail Garnhart (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Lindstrom paces the team in kills (237), kills per set (2.60), hitting percentage (.292), total blocks (76) and blocks per set (0.84). In the NE10, Lindstrom ranks fifth overall in hitting (.292), is tied for fifth in total blocks (76) and sixth in blocks per set (0.84). She has 11 double-digit kill performances including a career-high 27 kills while hitting .511 in the 3-2 (25-27, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19, 21-19) comeback versus Mercy. Lindstrom has blocked four or more attempts nine times including a personal-best eight at Queens (N.Y.). Garnhart comes in at second on the team in kills (229), kills per set (2.49), hitting percentage (.286), total blocks (53) and blocks per set (0.58). In the conference, she's tied for sixth in hitting percentage (.286). Garnhart has 12, 10+ more kill games with a career-high 23 coming in the 3-2 five-setter versus Mercy.

One-time NE10 Rookie of the Week, right side Mariah Robles (West Covina, Calif.) compiled 208 kills giving the Ravens three players with 200 kills or more. Junior setter Mary Pease (East Haddam, Conn.) has the eighth-most assists during a single season in program history with 862. She ranks fourth in the NE10 in assists and fourth in assists per set (9.37). Pease has recorded three games with 50+ helpers including a single-game record 66 at Mercy on September 7th. In the all-time record books, Pease is fifth in assists at 1,587. She has passed Bria Williams (2004), Catrina Cuevas (1999-2002) and Pamela Walker (2009-10) this season.

On the defensive side, libero Ellie Ivanova (Sofia, Bulgaria) has been a force digging balls for the crimson and grey. The three-time NE10 Libero of the Week has a team-best 462 digs and a 5.02 digs per set mark. Her dig per set mark is third overall in the league and her 462 digs rank fourth. In conference games, Ivanova paces all L/DS with 293 digs and a 5.75 digs per set average. She has 12, 20 or more dig games including six straight 20+ dig matches. In the 3-2 loss to Saint Anselm, Ivanova manufactured the fifth-highest single dig performance in program history with a game-high and personal-best 36 digs.

As a team, the Ravens rank fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.188), fourth in digs per set (17.10), tied for fifth with AIC in points per set (15.5), sixth in total blocks (147), eighth in service aces (174), eighth in kills per set (11.97) and ninth in kills (1,101).

 SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS

American International (12-16, 10-3 NE10) enters the tournament as the no. 2 seed after starting the year with eight straight losses and a 2-14, 0-2 NE10 mark through the month of September. Once the calendar switched to October, AIC went on an eight match-winning streak (five sweeps) and finished the remainder of their schedule 10-2, 10-1 NE10.

Junior outside hitter Andrea Serra, a four-time NE10 Player of the Week is the main offense for the Yellow Jackets. Serra is the conference leader in kills per set (4.29) by a considerable margin and carries the league in kills (476) by 149 over the second-place player. Serra ranks second in the NE10 in service aces (48) and she is 11th in digs (370). She has also been set up a conference-high 1,254 times for attack attempts this year, 269 over teammate Sarah Lowery. Lowery ranks third in the conference in kills 314 and fifth in kills per set (3.08). Reigning NE10 Player of the Year Jana Potic has also contributed 189 kills and 195 digs for AIC.

Their offense is run through three-time NE10 Rookie of the Week and one-time Setter of the Week, Naoimi Eckert who ranks first in the league in assists (1,067) and assists per set (9.88). On the defensive side, one-time NE10 Libero of the Week, Amanda Rodriguez comes in at second on the conference overall leaderboard with 501 digs and seventh in digs per set (4.55).

The hosts are one of the top offensive teams in the conference as they have amassed 1,395 kills over 28 matches. Their kills per set number is tied with Stonehill College for second in the league (12.46). AIC has however committed the most attack errors in the NE10 with 613 miscues. On defense, they have the highest amount of digs at 1,930, but comes in at third with 17.23 digs per set. AIC is fifth in service aces (181); however they are 12th in aces per set (1.62). The Yellow Jackets are tied with the Ravens in points per set at 15.5.

EARLIER THIS SEASON

Both squads met earlier this year on Tuesday, October 22nd as the Ravens traveled to Springfield and lost in five sets 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 25-18, 20-25, 11-15). Abigail Garnhart and Mariah Robles had 11 kills each with Robles accumulating 14 digs and eight total blocks. Andrea Serra was set 64 times and came away with a team-high 18 kills to go along with 21 digs.

HEADING TO THE GAME?

If you are planning on heading to the game here are the directions to the Henry A. Butova Gymnasium.

You will be required to pay a small gate fee to enter Butova Gym. The prices are…

Adults…..$6.00

Children, Students & Seniors…..$4.00

NE10 Conference Students w/Identification…..$1.00

WHERE TO WATCH

Can't make it to the game? The NE10 and American International College have you covered with live stats and free video. Click the links below to access the live stats and video.

LIVE STATS | VIDEO

You can also view the NE10 2019 Volleyball Championship page by clicking here.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The winner of this contest will square off against the victor of the no. 6 Le Moyne College/no. 3 Stonehill College match Friday for the Northeast-10 Conference Semifinals on the higher-seeded team's home court.

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://www.shopfpuravens.com) You can also follow the volleyball program on Twitter (https://twitter.com/FPURavensVB) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fpuravensvb/).