Four Ravens tally six or more kills

MANCHESTER, N.H. (October 31, 2012) – Junior middle Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo.) piled up seven block assists to lead all players, while adding six kills, as the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team notched a 3-1 road win over Saint Anselm in Northeast-10 Conference play at Stoutenburgh Gym. As a team, Franklin Pierce collected 12 blocks on the evening.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 15-13 (8-3 Northeast-10), while Saint Anselm falls to 8-12 (4-6 Northeast-10). Saint Anselm won the first set, 25-18, before Franklin Pierce roared back with 25-14, 25-6 and 25-23 victories to take the match.

Having already tied the match at 1-1 and leading 6-3 in the third, the Ravens ran off 15 of the next 17 points on their way to the third-set blowout. Freshman middle Lina Kleinschmidt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) chalked up three solo blocks in the run, as she finished with four total blocks on the day.

The Franklin Pierce offense was mostly anemic on the evening, as the Ravens hit just .115 over 131 attempts as a team. What offense there was, however, was balanced, as four different players collected at least six kills. Kleinschmidt, junior right side Ashley Bruce (Hampton Falls, N.H.) and junior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) all had seven each, in addition to Jackson's six. It was Bruce who was the most efficient option for Franklin Pierce, as she committed only one error in 16 attempts to hit a match-best .375. The Ravens split the offense between a pair of setters, as freshman Kellee Cranston (Reno, Nev.) had 15 assists and junior Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.) added 14 more.

The defense was the story of the match for the Ravens, as they chalked up 72 digs to go with their 12 blocks and hold Saint Anselm to an .025 attack percentage as a team over 157 attempts. Junior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) led all players with 24 digs, and was joined in double digits by Cranston's 12 digs and 10 from sophomore outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.). Along with Jackson's seven blocks and Kleinschmidt's four, Bruce chipped in four block assists.

For Saint Anselm, freshman middle Lauren Oxley led all players with 10 kills and hit .227, among the most efficient for the Hawks' primary offensive weapons on the evening. Sophomore outside hitter Shannon Douglas added eight kills, but committed 12 errors to hit -.118 over 34 attempts. The Hawks ran the offense through sophomore setter Natalie Steinwart, who led all players with 27 assists.

On the other side of the net, senior defensive specialist Margaret Tereschuk led Saint Anselm with 17 digs, and was joined in double figures by sophomore libero Melissa Jewett (14) and Douglas (12).

The Ravens return to the court on Friday, Nov. 2, when they return home to host Adelphi in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Fieldhouse in Rindge.

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).