Lady Barons Make a Good Showing in Hilbert College Tri-Match

By Dylan Ehle

HAMBURG, NY - The Franciscan University Lady Barons took on Hilbert College and Medaille College in a tri-match tournament this Saturday September 13^th.  They played a close match in the first game, but eventually fell to Hilbert College, 23-25, 25-17, 25-20, 26-28, 12-15.  They bounced back in the second match, however, trouncing a talented Medaille team, 25-13, 25-18, and 25-18.

The Lady Barons played their first game against Hilbert very close, only losing by two points, 23-25.  They came back to win by a significant margin in the second game, 25-17, and carried this success into the third game, taking a 25-20 advantage.  The Lady Barons trailed in the fourth game, 21-14, but came back to tie the game and even force a match point at 25-24; however, they failed to convert it, and ended up losing, 28-26, and losing the match by falling to Hilbert, 12-15, in the final game.

"We played a good match against Hilbert, but had a lot of unforced errors," head Coach Kelly Herrmann said in a post game interview.  "We struggled a bit down the stretch, though...we can't rely on another team to make mistakes in order for us to win a game."

Ali Aeschliman of Steubenville, OH, registered twelve kills in the match, while Kelsey Bowker added eleven of her own and Teresa Marcotte contributed twenty-one assists.

The Lady Barons came out strong in their second match, however, and crushed Medaille, 25-13, 25-18, 25-18.  Aeschliman had eleven kills and ten blocks in the game, while Paddy Scott added twenty assists.

However, right outside hitter Angelle Cupit was injured in the match against Medaille, and it is not yet known how many games she will miss.  Sophomore Mia Anthony saw some playing time as she filled in for the injured Cupit.

"Everyone did well today," Coach Herrmann said of the tournament as a whole, "Our team really came together, and I was glad to see them play better and better as the day went on.  I was a bit nervous going into the second match after the first one, but our team was strong and played a solid match.  However, it was tough going home knowing that we could have won both matches today."