ERIE, Pa.—The 2011 season ended for the Lady Baron volleyball team Tuesday evening as the team was defeated by Penn State Behrend, 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 18-25, 21-25), in conference playoffs. This was the first year Franciscan University was eligible for postseason play in the Alleghany Mountain Collegiate Conference tournament, entering playoffs as the fifth-seeded team.

"The first time we played Behrend, a lot of their strategy was to tip and roll to the middle," said head coach Kelly Herrmann. "So we adjusted out defense, and we played really well. Our defense was calling the shots, and we shut down a lot of their offense."

On defense, Nicole Henson and Alyssa Wappes marked down a strong 18 digs apiece; Amy O'Keefe, Teresa Hess and Meg Kay each put up 12 digs as well.

When it came to the Lady Baron offense, Herrmann knew that Behrend's defense was tough and would require an aggressive attack with cross-court and down-the-line hitting to get around it.

Alyssa Wappes led the Lady Barons with 11 kills on the night. Also contributing at the net were Meg Kay and Anna Cain, who put away nine and eight kills, respectively. Setter Amy O'Keefe marked 33 assists during the four-game contest. Nicole Henson added four aces.

"Unfortunately, hitting errors have been a weakness of ours, and we gave them too many points," Herrmann noted.

For seniors Henson and Wappes, it was the last time they suited up for the Lady Barons. Coach Herrmann noted they each had strong performances; Henson with her digs and aces, and Wappes for her presence at the net.

"We wish we could have won for them and continued on in the tournament," Herrmann added. "They're prime examples of what student-athletes at Franciscan University should be."

The Lady Barons finished the season at a .461 record (12-13 overall) and 5-4 on the season in the AMCC.