NEWARK, Del. (9/20/25) - On the final day of the Wildcat Regional Invitational in Newark, Delaware the Ravens had back-to-back wins to improve their record to 2-7, Daniella Stake collected her first win as the Ravens head coach.
The first match of the day the Ravens came on top against the Tigers of Holy Family University in a five-set thriller (18-25, 25-19, 19-25, 26-24, 15-12).
Avery LeBlanc (Exeter, R.I.) led the way with a total of 18 kills and a .469 hitting percentage, on the defensive side,
Jayne Hiatt (Granby, Conn.) racked 15 digs,
Katholiki Koukia (Rhodes, Greece) and
Annaka Lindstrom (Dudley Mass.) had 5 blocks a piece.
After their first win of the 2025 season the Ravens returned to the court for their final match of the Wildcat Regional against Roberts Wesleyan where they secured another win 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-16). Lindstrom ran the offense with a season high of 36 assists, once again
Avery LeBlanc lead the team in kills and digs with 12 and 14, respectively.
Records: Franklin Pierce (2-7), 0-0 NE10), Holy Family (7-2, 1-0 CACC), Roberts Wesleyan (0-11, 0-0 ECC)
Location: WU Athletics Complex, Newark, Del.
Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025
Match One: FPU 3, Holy Family 2 (18-25, 25-19, 19-25, 26-24, 15-12)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One
Holy Family came out strong and led for the whole set besides the first point. Holy family went on their largest run of 5 points making the score 11-6. The set concluded with a kill from the opposing team.
Set Two
In the beginning of set two, the Ravens went on a three-point stretch to build the momentum with a kill from Hiatt and a block from
Martina Spackova (Bratislava, Slovakia). To get their first set win of the weekend Avery Leblanc got back-to-back kills from Lindstrom.
Set Three
The Tigers start with the ball, but Hiatt bounced back with a kill to open the set. Holy Family was leading the charge up until mid-way through the set where
Julia Felgenhauer (Bolivar, Ohio) got a service ace to tie the set 14-14. Eventually the Ravens fell succumbing to their own errors.
Set Four
FPU started out hot going on a four-point run with senior outside hitter,
Avery LeBlanc, having back-to-back serving aces and freshman,
Jayne Hiatt, with back-to-back kills. Holy Family fought back with 6 lead changes throughout the set. As the set was coming to a close, Holy Family had match point, but
Martina Spackova came up big for the Ravens having three stuff blocks in a row to bring them into the fifth.
Set Five
Once again, in the first two opening points, LeBlanc came out strong for the Ravens starting with a kill and an ace. Holy Family responded by going on a four-point run making the score 3-7 to the Tigers. After a timeout,
Adrianna Reay (Bristol, Conn.) got a kill to start the change of momentum for the Ravens. The Ravens went on a three point scoring run to catch up making it 9-10 However, the Ravens did not give up, as Lindstrom headed back to the service line down three she added pressure to the Tigers and the Ravens were able to fight back getting six points in a row to secure their first win of the season!
Match Two: FPU 3, Roberts Wesleyan 1 (21-15, 25-19, 25-17, 25-16)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One
Coming off the high of the win, the Ravens started slow against the RedHawks losing the first two points off their own errors. The RedHawks would go on multiple scoring runs to get ahead of the Ravens aiding in their win of the first set
Set Two
FPU lost the opening points of the set and responded by having back-to-back kills by Koukia and Spackova. The set was back and forth until Lindstrom got to the service line and had back-to-back aces for the Ravens. This time, the Ravens were the ones who went on multiple scoring runs to help them get ahead. They included kills from Hiatt, Reay, Koukia, and Lindstrom, who also got the set-winning kill.
Set Three
To switch up the game the Ravens started ahead this set going on a 10-0 scoring run. LeBlanc led the charge by holding serve and getting two aces within the stretch, and three different players getting kills. Pierce kept a strong lead for the rest of the set, allowing them to get the win.
Set Four
The set started with the two teams battling back and forth until the Red Hawks went on a five-point run putting them ahead. The Ravens responded back by having a four-point run of their own to tie it up at 10-10. However, towards the end of the set you could not stop FPU as they forced RWU to make 3 errors on their side of the net. The set concluded with back-to-back kills from Lindstrom and the Ravens won the match (3-1).
UP NEXT FOR THE RAVENS: Tuesday will be the first home game of the season for Franklin Pierce, where they will be playing a conference rival, Saint Anselm, in a non-conference matchup. First serve is at 7 p.m. in Rindge.
