Freshman collects 12 kills, Miller adds 19 digs

RINDGE, N.H. (September 27, 2011) – Freshman outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) struck for a match-high 12 kills while adding seven digs and five block assists to lead the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team to a three-set sweep of Southern New Hampshire in Northeast-10 Conference play at the Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 6-7 (1-2 Northeast-10), while Southern New Hampshire falls to 3-6 (1-2 Northeast-10). Franklin Pierce silenced the Penmen in the first two sets with 25-19 and 25-13 victories before battling back from a nine-point deficit in the third set to claim the match with a 25-22 win.

With Franklin Pierce leading 1-0, the second set saw the Ravens offense take off behind the serve of sophomore libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.), who chalked up three aces in the set. During the set, Miller would setup the kill for classmate middle Ashley Bruce (Hampton Falls, N.H.) to give Franklin Pierce the 15-9 advantage. From there, the Penmen could collect only four points in the time the Ravens to run off 10 to finish the set on a kill from sophomore middle Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo.).

The second set saw the Ravens hit .211, which would mark their best set of the evening by over 40 points. The Penmen struggled offensively with their highest hitting percentage only reaching .125, in the third set. In the end, the Ravens hit .175 (38 kills/18 errors/114 attempts), while Southern New Hampshire posted .051 (27/21/117).

Swiderski was the only player to collect double-digit offensively with her 12 kills, but supporting her attack were Jackson and sophomore right side Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) who each added eight kills of their own. Sophomore setter Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.) fueled the offense with a match-high 33 assists.

Defensively, it would be Miller and Ray pairing to take control of the Franklin Pierce defense as they collected 19 and 18 digs, respectively. The duo saw support from Swiderski who added seven digs of her own and sophomore defensive specialist Michelle Marguette (North Kingstown, R.I.), who picked up six digs on the evening. At the net, Jackson, Swiderski and freshman middle Jocelyn Smith (Groton, Conn.) all sent back five block assists each, as the Ravens notched 10 team blocks on the night.

For Southern New Hampshire, junior outside hitter Erica Solomon led the offense with eight kills, and narrowly missed a double-double as she added eight digs. Senior middle hitter Danielle Coffey chipped in six kills offensively off the set of freshman setter Kendra Mikuta, who finished with 15 assists. Sophomore libero Peyton Williams led the Penmen on defense, as she collected a match-best 20 digs. At the net, Coffey led all players with six blocks (two solo).

The Ravens return to the court on Saturday, Oct. 1, when they hit the road for a tri-match hosted by Stonehill at Merkert Gymnasium. The Ravens will face the host Skyhawks in a Northeast-10 Conference match at 11 a.m. and then take on the Flyers of Mercy in a non-conference contest at 1:30 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).