CLARION, Pa. - The Franklin Pierce University volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a 3-1 loss to West Virginia Wesleyan College in the first match of the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament on Friday morning.
With the loss, Franklin Pierce begins the season at 0-1.
After dropping the opening set 25-14, the Ravens found their footing in the second, responding with a 25-23 victory. Franklin Pierce quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead behind a kill from
Grace Miller and back-to-back kills by
Brooklin Brown.
West Virginia Wesleyan regained control, establishing a 16-12 advantage before extending its lead to 21-17 late in the set. The Ravens responded with an 8-1 run to close out the set, jump-started by a
Maddie Swanson kill and followed by a pair of kills from Brown.
Adrianna Reay delivered the final kill to even the match at 1-1.
Ultimately, West Virginia Wesleyan took the final two sets by identical 25-13 scores to hand the Ravens their first loss of the season.
Swanson led the Franklin Pierce attack with 13 kills, while Brown added seven and Reay finished with six.
Giuliana Pamatat handed out 28 assists and recorded six digs.
Reay led the Ravens defensively with 14 digs, while
Brook Barkley added 10 and Swanson collected eight. Pamatat and Marija Miloševic each contributed four blocks.
Franklin Pierce continues the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament today against host Clarion University at 2 p.m. The Ravens will conclude the tournament tomorrow, August 29th, against Shippensburg University at 9 a.m. and Daemen University at 12 p.m.
