Ravens await NCAA fate

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (November 19, 2013) – A 12-ace service attack would not be enough to offset a .125 hitting percentage on Tuesday night, as the fifth-seeded Franklin Pierce University volleyball team was defeated, 3-1, by fourth-seeded Adelphi in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship at Center for Recreation and Sport. Kaitlyn DeStefano put down a match-best 21 kills and hit a robust .485 on the night to lead Adelphi, while junior outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) chalked up 13 kills in defeat for Franklin Pierce.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 14-8, while Adelphi improves to 19-11 and will advance to meet top-seeded New Haven on Friday night in the semifinal round. After taking the first set, 25-15, Franklin Pierce dropped the next three, 25-21, 25-22 and 25-18, as Adelphi rallied for the win. The Ravens sit very much on the bubble for NCAA Championship selection and will be forced to idly await their fate while other East Region members continue conference championship play over the weekend. The NCAA selection show is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 25 at ncaa.com.

Facing a 2-1 deficit, Franklin Pierce led as late as 11-10 in the fourth set as the team tried to force a fifth set. From there, however, Adelphi rattled off nine of the next 11 points -- including a pair of aces from senior setter Katie Bryson and a trio of Franklin Pierce attack errors -- to jump all the way to a 24-15 lead and set up as many as nine match points. The Ravens were able to stave off three such match points before Bryson set up sophomore middle Shelby Stoner for the final kill of the night.

Swiderski's .242 hitting percentage led Franklin Pierce on the night, as she was one of only two Ravens to top .200. She was joined in double digits by sophomore outside hitter Sydni Schulz (Cypress, Texas), who had 12 kills, while no other Raven collected more than six. Senior setter Stephanie Svorinic (Scottsdale, Ariz.) ran the Franklin Pierce offense and dished out 29 assists in the match. The Ravens served up 12 aces against just six service errors, including a team-best four aces from sophomore defensive specialist Sarah MacHugh (Red Hook, N.Y.).

Defensively, Miller led the Ravens with 17 digs and was joined in double digits by both Schulz (14 digs) and Svorinic (12). At the net, Franklin Pierce had five blocks on the evening, with three different players factoring in on four each.

DeStefano stole the show offensively for Adelphi, as the Panthers hit just .177 in the match despite her .485 showing. Even with the low percentage, three different Adelphi players reached double digits in kills, as freshman outside hitter Mandy Stanislovaitis (12 kills) and Stoner (10) joined DeStefano. As a group, the trio accounted for 43 of Adelphi's 53 kills on the night. The offense ran through the set of Bryson, who piled up 45 assists. Bryson added four aces to lead a nine-ace service effort, but Adelphi negated any value there with nine service errors as well.

Defensively, junior outside hitter Haley Blunt led all players with 20 digs, while Stanislovaitis joined her in double digits with 10. Up front, the Panthers had six blocks, led by four (two solo) from DeStefano.

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). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce volleyball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).