CLEVELAND, Ohio—Despite winning their first game of the day over John Carroll University, the Franciscan University Lady Barons volleyball team did not get another victory Saturday, falling in their final two matches of the Marcia French Memorial Tournament. The Lady Barons were defeated by JCU with a score of 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-27, 19-25), and were swept by Thiel College, 3-0 (15-25, 17-25, 13-25).
According to head coach Kelly Herrmann, at the beginning of the first match the Lady Barons appeared to be the better team. "We were doing a great job early of diversifying our offense, and we really had them off balance. In the second and third games, though, we kind of went away from it and we kind of took the pressure off of them. Overall, I thought it was a really good match for us on paper, and John Carroll is a very solid program."
In the second match, the Lady Barons fell victim to fatigue from the three previous matches played in just an 18-hour period.
"All three of our [previous] matches were very close, and I thought that at times we looked really tired in the John Carroll match," noted Herrmann. "It was kind of a tough situation. Thiel serves incredibly well, and I think that is what hurt us the most in the final match, our serve-receive."
Herrmann noted the continued consistency of freshman setter Amy O'Keefe, who had 47 assists between the two matches Saturday, as well as junior middle-hitter Anna Cain, who registered 19 kills on the day.
"Anna has always been that kind of player. She does a great job all the time, everywhere, and she was just a solid performer. Amy's composure continues to amaze me; she handles the pressure really well," Herrmann said.
Cain made the Marcia French All-Tournament Team.
Herrmann went on to add, "Meg [Kay] had a lot of big kills for us today, and Alyssa [Wappes] hit the ball really well." Kay finished with a team-high 22 kills, as well as 21 digs on the day. Senior Nicole Henson chipped in with 21 digs.
With the two losses on the day, the Lady Barons record falls to 2-5, as they prepare to face Carlow University in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. They will play their first home match of the season on Wednesday as they welcome Marietta College to the Finnegan Fieldhouse. Game time for both matches is scheduled for 7 p.m.
