Swiderski collects 18 kills
The Ravens notched the program's first win against Bentley in over 18 years on Tuesday night.
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RINDGE, N.H. (October 4, 2011) – Freshman outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Pont, N.Y.) hammered out a match-best 18 kills while adding 11 digs to collect her second consecutive double-double, to lead the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team to a 3-1 victory over Bentley in Northeast-10 Conference action on Tuesday night at the Fieldhouse. Sophomore right side Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) notched another Ravens double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs.
With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 8-8 overall (2-3 Northeast-10), while Bentley falls to 8-7 (3-3 Northeast-10). Franklin Pierce won the first set, 25-20, but the Falcons would even the score with a 25-23 victory in the second. The Ravens ran off with back-to-back wins of 25-16 and 25-23 to finish the match. It marked the first win for Franklin Pierce against Bentley since Oct. 2, 1993, a span of 18 years and two days.
The Ravens would make the third set the turning point as they quickly took command with a 6-1 lead. Ray would fuel that run, before giving the Ravens their largest lead, at 19-12, with her third ace of the set. Sophomore Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.) sent the Ravens on a five-point stretch to finish the set, while also leading her team in the match with 37 assists.
The pivotal third set would see Franklin Pierce post its highest hitting percentage of the night by 75 points with a .345. For the Falcons, the margin was even more telling, as Bentley hit a match-high .424 in its second-set win, sandwiched between .030 and .097 in the first and third sets, respectively, both of which turned into dominant Franklin Pierce wins.
Swiderski's double-digit attack would see her hit a team-high .326, while Ray's double-double would be the 10th of her first season at Franklin Pierce. Sophomore middle Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo.) neared double digits herself for the Ravens with nine kills.
Ray's defensive lead of 12 digs was joined by classmate libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) and Swiderski, who would each add 11 of their own. Freshman middle Jocelyn Smith (Groton, Conn.) found her role at the net, coming up with a match-best four blocks on the evening.
For Bentley, it would be four freshmen who fueled the offense. Outside hitter Kelsey Buckner led the way with 17 kills and 12 digs to grab the match's third double-double. Classmates outside hitter Tatiana Froehlich and middle Savannah Dominguez lifted the Falcons offense with nine and eight kills, respectively, while Alex Tator fired a match-best 38 assists. The Bentley defense was powered by 13 digs each from freshman libero Lauren Colasanti and senior outside hitter Virginia Wong.
The Ravens will have a week off before returning to their home court on Tuesday, Oct. 11 to face Merrimack in Northeast-10 Conference play set for 7 p.m. in the Fieldhouse.
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).
