Swiderski, Ray lead attack
Miller landed on the All-Tournament Team after recording double-digit dig totals in three of four matches at the Puma Invitational.
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Box Score vs. McKendree
Box Score vs. Indiana (Pa.)
RENSSELAER, Ind. (September 3, 2011) – Freshman outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) recorded 12 kills, freshman middle Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) notched 11 kills and freshman middle Jocelyn Smith (Groton, Conn.) chalked up five blocks on Saturday morning to lead the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team to a 3-0 win over McKendree at the Puma Invitational, hosted by St. Joseph's (Ind.). Later on Saturday, the Ravens were swept by Indiana (Pa.).
With the split, Franklin Pierce moves to 1-3 (0-0 Northeast-10) on the season. After averaging 3.69 digs per set and serving up seven aces over four matches, sophomore libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) was selected to the All-Tournament Team.
In the first match of the day, Franklin Pierce swept through McKendree with set wins of 25-18, 25-23 and 25-22.
For Franklin Pierce, Swiderski led the offense with 12 kills, while Ray added 11 kills of her own against only three errors over 26 attempts, for a match-best .308 attack percentage (minimum 10 attempts). The duo worked off the set of sophomore Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who dished out a match-best 35 assists.
Defensively, Miller collected nine digs, while Smith totaled five blocks (three solo).
For McKendree, senior right sides Kaitlyn Kollman and Nadia Moore paced the offense with eight and seven kills, respectively. Moore made just two errors over 19 attempts to lead the Bearcats with a .263 attack percentage. Two setters split the load for McKendree, as freshman Maggie Mueller dished out 11 assists, while senior Melissa Bayer added 10 of her own.
On the other side of the ball, junior defensive specialist Laura Payne collected eight digs, while freshman middle Trina Isaak recorded three blocks (one solo).
In the second match of the day, Franklin Pierce was swept by Indiana (Pa.), 25-21, 25-18 and 25-22.
For the Ravens, Ray was the only player to reach double digits on offense with 12 kills and three errors over 35 attempts to hit .257, while Svorinic handed out 25 assists. Miller piled up double-digit digs for the third time in four matches at the Puma Invitational with 22.
For IUP, freshman outside hitter Lauren Hester led the charge with 14 kills, while senior middle Danielle Ostendorf added 10 of her own. Ostendorf reached double digits without committing an error to hit .500, leading all players. The duo worked off the set of junior Sarah Alman, who chalked up 21 assists. Defensively, senior libero Emily Vaughn notched 23 digs and was the only Crimson Hawk in double digits, though three other players recorded at least eight.
The Ravens return to the court on Friday, Sept. 9, when they travel to the River Hawk Classic for a non-conference match against Merrimack. The match is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Costello Gym on the campus of Massachusetts Lowell in Lowell, Mass. The Ravens' first home match is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24 against New Haven at 1 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).
