Ravens face Norfolk State to open play Sunday

MILLSBORO, Del. (November 15, 2014) – A day after dropping all six of its matches on the first day of the UMES Hawk Classic, hosted by Maryland Eastern Shore, the Franklin Pierce University bowling team bounced back to split six matches on the second day of the event at Millsboro Lanes. Freshman Brittany Hovan (Paramus, N.J.) competed in just four of the day's six matches, but averaged a 189.25 across her four games.

The Ravens opened play Saturday with back-to-back losses to Adelphi (906-836 and 978-856), before running off consecutive wins over Kutztown (828-816), Howard (954-774) and Norfolk State (894-817). Franklin Pierce concluded its second day in Delaware by falling to Sacred Heart (996-795). The UMES Hawk Classic concludes on Sunday with bracket play, where each team will play three matches. Each match will be contested as a best-of-seven games in the Baker format. The Ravens will open play Sunday against Norfolk State.

Four Ravens bowled in all six matches on Saturday, led by freshman Curran Desjardins (Acushnet, Mass.), who dropped 1,034 pins to average 172.33 for the day. Freshman Jessica Davies (Cape Coral, Fla.), junior Rebekah Varin (West Warwick, R.I.) and freshman Nicolette Vucak (Garfield, N.J.) were the others to bowl in all six matches for Franklin Pierce. All three posted similar lines, as each averaged between 169 and 172 pins per game. Freshman Jessica Marcure (Attleboro, Mass.) opened the day with a 172 and a 130 (151.00 average), before being lifted in favor of Hovan for the remainder of the day.

Franklin Pierce was at its best in its fourth match of the day, against Howard. Three Ravens topped 200 against the Bison, led by 207 from Hovan. Vucak added 204 pins and Desjardins knocked down 202.

The match against Howard featured three of six 200-plus scores on the day for Franklin Pierce. Hovan had the day's high score for the crimson and grey, as she dropped 222 pins against Kutztown, in a match which ultimately went the Ravens' way by just 12 pins. Elsewhere, Desjardins bowled a 215 in the second match against Adelphi and Davies put together a 214 against Norfolk State. Hovan's 189.25 average looked even more impressive, after considering she capped her day with just a 148 against Sacred Heart.

Adelphi's Laura Zugg lit up the Ravens twice to start the day, as she bowled a 224 in the day's first match, and kicked things up a notch from there by following with a 234, on her way to a 191.20 average over six matches for the Panthers. Likewise, Franklin Pierce ran into a buzz saw at the end of the day, as Sacred Heart featured a pair of 220-pin performances in Courtney McGinn (225) and Lauren Hoffman (221). The latter finished with the second-highest average among all bowlers on the day, as Hoffman averaged 214.00 across six matches for the Pioneers.

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 bowling apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).