Four Ravens honored by Conference
RINDGE, N.H. (November 11, 2014) – The Franklin Pierce volleyball team saw two of its players selected to All-Northeat-10 Conference honors, led by senior Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) who was named to the All-Conference second team. Sophomore Aiden Garcia (Eagle Pass, TX) landed on the Third Team, while freshman Hannah Runge (Deltona, Fla.) and Hannah St. Jean (Olympia, Wash.) were both named to the All-Rookie Team, as four Ravens were honored overall.
Swiderski has been the backbone of the Ravens all season long, leading the team in almost every offensive category. With the award, she earns her first athletic award from the conference in her four years at Franklin Pierce. She has over 300 kills on the season, and earlier this year eclipsed the 1,000 kill plateau. She currently ranks second in the conference in total kills with 326, and third in kills per set, averaging a 3.33. Her best game of the season came with a career-high 24 kills in one game at Assumption.
Garcia came into this season after a solid freshman campaign, where she was named to the conference All-Rookie Team. This season, she continued her strong play showing consistency in her attack. She finds herself in the top 20 in the conference in kills, and second on the team only to Swiderski. However, she ranks in the conference top 10 in attack percentage with an impressive .276. She ran off a streak of eight double-digit kill showings in a span of ten matches, including a season-high 23 kill showing against Wilmington.
Runge burst into the scene early on, and established herself as a future star at the setter position in the conference. She was twice named Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Week, and has shown plenty of consistency in a position that heavily requires it. She topped out at 50 assists in one game, and had at least 40 assists in three other matches.
St. Jean has quietly become a force up front in the conference as the season has progressed. She ranks in the top 10 in every blocking category in the conference, including third in total blocks. Her breakout game came with an 11 block performance against NYIT. Her outstanding defensive presence has also been complimented by a respectable offensive presence, finishing with at least six kills in all but seven matches. She also topped out with two double-digit kill performances, with a high of 15 at Assumption.
The eighth-seeded Ravens (15-12, 8-6 Northeast-10) are in action tonight, as they visit the number one-seeded New Haven in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. Game is set to begin at 7 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). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce volleyball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).
