STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – As Penn State Behrend locked up its No. 4 seed in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference tournament, the Franciscan University Lady Barons were solidified as No. 5 for their first ever AMCC tournament next week. This is the first year any Franciscan sports team is eligible for postseason play after gaining full membership into the NCAA in July. The Lady Barons took down the D'Youville Lady Spartans, 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-23).

"Matches like this are tough," said head coach Kelly Herrmann. "They had nothing to lose and everything to gain, and we had everything to lose." The result of Saturday's match decided Franciscan's postseason fate.

Herrmann was pleased that her team did not let up their level of play despite playing against a team sitting 0-8 in the conference thus far on the season.

"They certainly have talent," Herrmann said of the Lady Spartans. "I was concerned about the girls thinking that this was going to be an easy one, because in volleyball, like any sport, you can never play like that. I thought we came out really strong. In general we played a pretty good match. We were able to take control." 

The Lady Barons used a balanced offensive attack in the three games, getting a total of ten kills from Anna Cain and Amy O'Keefe, and adding nine by Meg Kay. O'Keefe had 25 assists on the day as well. Leading the defense in digs was Alyssa Wappes with 14, while Nicole Henson contributed eight.

One of the other keys to the Lady Baron victory was the excellence in blocking from the entire team, especially Cain, noted Herrmann.

The Lady Barons finish the season at a .500 record (12-12 overall, 5-4 AMCC). They will travel to Penn State Behrend on Tuesday, Nov. 1, in the opening round of the AMCC tournament. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m.