Walker posts 24-assist, 14-dig double-double

Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. (October 20, 2010) – Freshman middle Katie Jackson (Cherry Creek, Colo.) hit .304 with nine kills on Wednesday night, but the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team was defeated, 3-1 at home, by Stonehill in Northeast-10 Conference play at the Fieldhouse. Senior right side Erin Johnson hit .333 with 16 kills and senior middle Laura Noonan added 12 kills and hit .308 in the victory for Stonehill.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 9-7 (3-6 Northeast-10), while Stonehill improves to 9-10 (7-3 Northeast-10). Stonehill took the first set, 25-13, before Franklin Pierce answered with a 25-21 win in the second set. Stonehill posted 25-19 and 25-17 victories in the next two sets to take the match.

Stonehill stormed to a 1-0 lead, as five different Skyhawks chalked up at least three kills and the team hit .343 while racking up the 12-point win in the first set. Franklin Pierce rallied with six kills and a .385 hitting percentage from senior outside hitter Christina Calderon (Tombstone, Ariz.) on its way to a four-point, second-set victory. However, the Ravens would hit just .055 with nine errors in the second set, their highest single-set total of the night, as the offense struggled much of the evening.

Johnson would collect four kills in each of the final two sets as Stonehill surged to the victory. The Skyhawks totaled 42 digs over the final two sets to hold the Franklin Pierce offense to an .031 mark in the third and an .023 mark in the fourth. For its part, the Stonehill offense hit .343 in the first set and sputtered from there, though its .186 in the fourth set would be enough to put the match away.

Behind Jackson for the Ravens, Calderon finished with eight kills, while freshman outside hitter Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) contributed six kills, as senior setter Pam Walker (Chino Hills, Calif.) dished out 24 assists.

The Ravens were effective in stretches on the defensive side of the ball, as senior libero Chelsie Kohout (Harrison Township, Mich.) collected 26 digs, while Walker and Miller added 14 and 10 digs, respectively. At the net, Jackson totaled six block assists and often teamed with Miller, who added five block assists of her own. Calderon finished with four blocks (one solo). As a team, Franklin Pierce recorded 10 blocks, its second double-digit effort of the season and the most since a 12-block match at Post on Sept. 18.

After Johnson and Noonan for Stonehill, freshman outside hitter Sydney Maxey added nine kills, while junior outside hitter Laura Huselton and freshman right side Kristen Arvidson contributed six kills each. The offense ran through the dual set of senior Andrea Wirth (match-high 35 assists) and sophomore Erin Kelly (16 assists).

On the defensive side of the net, four Skyhawks finished with double-digit dig totals: Huselton (23 digs), senior libero Justine Thompson (20), Maxey (17) and Wirth (13). Noonan and senior middle Anna Berthiaume each picked up two block assists.

Over the course of the match, Franklin Pierce hit .025 with 31 kills over 162 attacks. Stonehill finished at .161 with 55 kills on 174 swings.

The Ravens return to the court on Friday, Oct. 22, when they travel to Bentley for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. The match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Dana Center in Waltham, Mass. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Wednesday, Oct. 27 against American International 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).