Ravens open Northeast-10 play at home on Thursday

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (September 8, 2012) – Junior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had 13 kills over two matches on Saturday afternoon, but the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team was shutout twice on the second day of the Mountain Lion Invitational, hosted by Colorado Colorado Springs at Gallogly Events Center. The Ravens were downed, 3-0, by both Fort Lewis and No. 12 nationally ranked Wayne State (Neb.).

With the pair of losses, Franklin Pierce falls to 3-5 (0-0 Northeast-10). With the wins, Fort Lewis improved to 4-3 (0-0 Rocky Mountain), while Wayne State improved to 6-2 (0-0 Northern Sun).

Against Fort Lewis, the Ravens were swept by set scores of 25-18, 25-16 and 25-22. Later, Wayne State put away Franklin Pierce, 25-13, 25-12, 25-13.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Ray was named to the All-Tournament Team.

In the first match of the day, the Ravens hit -.024 as a team, committing 23 attack errors against just 21 kills over 84 swings. Ray led Franklin Pierce with six kills, while no other Raven recorded more than four. The offense ran through the set of both junior Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and freshman Kellee Cranston (Reno, Nev.), who finished with 10 and eight assists, respectively. One bright spot offensively for Franklin Pierce was the serve of freshman middle Lina Kleinschmidt (Santa Barbara, Calif.), who served up a match-best four aces.

Defensively for the Ravens, Ray led the team with seven digs, while junior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind.) added six more. Four different players recorded one block assist each up front.

For Fort Lewis, sophomore outside hitter Ashley Wells was the primary weapon, as she piled up 17 kills against just three errors over 29 attempts to hit a match-high .483. No other Skyhawk would record more than five kills. Fort Lewis ran the offense through sophomore setter Ciara Krening, who dished out a match-best 30 assists. Freshman outside hitter Alexa Moser served up three aces.

Defensively for the Skyhawks, junior libero Jenna Kinzer led the team with eight digs, while Wells finished with seven to come up just shy of a double-double. At the net, freshman middle Ashley Ellis recorded four blocks (two solo).

Against Wayne State, the offense was equally stifled, as the Ravens hit -.021 over 94 attempts. Ray led the way once again, with seven kills, while junior right side Ashley Bruce (Hampton Falls, N.H.) and Kleinschmidt added five each. Svorinic drove the offense in the second match, as she finished with 20 assists.

Defensively, Miller paced the squad with nine digs, while Bruce and Jackson posted two blocks each.

For Wayne State, freshman outside hitter Lauren Sieckmann (11 kills) and junior outside hitter Cori Hobbs (10) both finished in double digits, with the latter hitting .556 without an error over 18 swings. The duo worked primarily off the set of freshman Leisa McClintock, who dished out a match-high 28 assists.

On the other side of the net, three different Wildcats had six digs each: Hobbs, Sieckmann and freshman libero Courtney VanGroningen. Up front, junior middle Katie Beiermann led the way with six blocks (two solo), and freshman outside hitter Elizabeth Gebhardt added five block assists.

The Ravens return to the court on Thursday, Sept. 13, when they return home for their home opener, a non-conference contest against Assumption. First serve is set for 7 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).