GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Franciscan University of Steubenville women's volleyball team has secured a spot in its first ever Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference tournament after foiling the playoff hopes of its Wednesday opponent, the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. The Lady Barons defeated Greensburg 3-2 (20-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-20, 15-8).
"Greensburg played extremely well, especially since they were fighting for a spot in the playoffs," said Lady Baron head coach Kelly Herrmann. "We were sloppy at times, but we pulled it together."
After losing the first game of the match 25-20, Franciscan rebounded and won the second by a convincing 25-17 score, only to drop the third game by the same score as game one. In the fourth and fifth games, though, Herrmann said her players stepped up and made the plays that were necessary to win the game.
"Anna [Cain] had a very solid game and they were trying to defend her with a short blocker," Herrmann said. "They had no answer for her offensively or defensively. Meg [Kay] also played well and is really starting to feel strong coming back from her injury."
Cain registered 21 kills, with Kay adding 13 and Jackie Zucco pitching in nine. Amy O'Keefe had 47 assists over the five games, an average of 9.4 per game. Nicole Henson led the team in digs with 21, while Kay and O'Keefe each added 16.
Herrmann noted that they didn't expect the match to be as close as it was, but realized that she can't think that way in the AMCC.
"Every team has talent and comes to play, and Greensburg certainly did tonight."
Even with the strong efforts from Cain, Kay, and freshman setter Amy O'Keefe, who, according to Herrmann "had a very strong day setting and did a nice job attacking second balls when she had the chance," the difference in the match was the play of Jackie Zucco.
"She was the player of the match," Herrmann said. "She played her best match of the season. She hit the ball to every area of the court, had some great power tips and played with confidence. Her performance was the key to our victory."
The Lady Barons improve to 12-12 overall and 4-4 in the AMCC. They finish out their season at home against D'Youville College on Saturday, October 29, at 11 a.m. Their first playoff match is scheduled for Tuesday.
