Senior libero surpassed 1,695 career digs

Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. (October 13, 2010) – Senior libero Chelsie Kohout (Harrison Township, Mich.) recorded 26 digs, including the 1,695th of her career to set a new program record on Wednesday night, but the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team was defeated, 3-1, by Massachusetts Lowell in Northeast-10 Conference play at Franklin Pierce's Fieldhouse. Senior outside hitter Jillian Hadder posted a double-double with a match-best 18 kills to go with 11 digs in the victory for Massachusetts Lowell.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 8-6 (2-5 Northeast-10), while Massachusetts Lowell improves to 9-7 (4-2 Northeast-10). After 25-19 and 25-21 wins for Massachusetts Lowell in the first two sets, Franklin Pierce picked up a 25-16 win in the third set. However, the River Hawks took the fourth, 25-20, to finish off the match.

Kohout recorded a pair of digs on the same rally early in the third set. The first was the 1,694th of her career to tie Tara Vece for the program's all-time record. The second was number 1,695 and gave Kohout sole possession of the top spot in program annals. In that third set, senior outside hitter Christina Calderon (Tombstone, Ariz.) led the Franklin Pierce offense with six kills and hit .357, while freshman outside hitter Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) added four kills, six digs and hit .333. As a team, the Ravens hit .225 in the third set as they won by nine points to force the fourth set.

Unfortunately for Franklin Pierce, Hadder would supply five kills while senior middle Sarah Coscia picked up four more and hit .300 for the River Hawks as they put the match away with a five-point win in the fourth set. As a team, Massachusetts Lowell racked up 25 digs in the fourth set alone, to hold the Franklin Pierce offense to just five kills and a .061 attack percentage. Senior outside hitter Vicky Wong had seven digs in the set, while freshman libero Carolyn Eddy added six and sophomore setter Kristina Wiltjer picked up five to go with 12 assists, an ace and a block assist.

Over the course of the match, Miller and Calderon led the Franklin Pierce offense with nine kills apiece, while freshman middle Katie Jackson (Cherry Creek, Colo.) contributed six of her own and graduate student outside hitter Kelsey Painter (Glendale, Ariz.) added five and hit a team-best .190. The offense ran through the set of senior Pam Walker (Chino Hills, Calif.), who dished out 28 assists, while Miller served up three aces.

Four players finished in double digits defensively for the Ravens, as Kohout led the way with her 26 digs, followed by Miller (17 digs), Painter (12) and Walker (11). The latter used the 11 digs to post her second consecutive double-double. Jackson led the blocking efforts with four blocks (one solo).

On the other side of the net, Hadder piled up her 18 kills while hitting .192, while Coscia contributed 13 kills and hit a match-best .219. Junior middle Lea Freeman added eight kills as the River Hawks ran the offense through Wiltjer, who finished with 34 assists and 15 digs to pick up a double-double. Both Wiltjer and Hadder served up three aces.

Defensively, Eddy led the River Hawks with 18 digs. Wong (16 digs), Wiltjer (15) and Hadder (11) all finished in double digits as well, while Coscia led the River Hawks with three block assists.

Neither team was overly efficient on the attack, as Franklin Pierce hit .104 with 34 kills against 20 errors over 134 attacks. Massachusetts Lowell hit .103 with 49 kills and 31 errors over 174 attacks.

The Ravens return to the court on Friday, Oct. 15, when they travel to Assumption for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Laska Gym in Worcester, Mass. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Oct. 20 against Stonehill at 7 p.m.

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).