STEUBENVILLE--The Franciscan University Lady Baron volleyball team played the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference number one team Penn State Altoona Wednesday evening.  The Lady Barons came out strong to push the match into five games, but ultimately fell with a final score of 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-16, 19-25, 8-15).

"We played a good game today against an opponent ranked above our team in the conference.  Last year we lost to Altoona, but this year we really put the pressure back on them," said head coach Kelly Herrmann. "Unfortunately, we just lost our composure here and there, and we couldn't pull out the win."

It was a full house of supporting fans for the Lady Barons, and the team did not go down without a fight. The net play was aggressive as Anna Cain and Meg Kay led the team with 13 kills each.  Alyssa Wappes was also a strong presence on the offensive with a total of 14 kills. Setter Amy O'Keefe played an outstanding game with 37 assists and libero Nicole Henson was all over the back row with 18 digs. 

"We played our hearts out today," said defensive specialist Nicole Henson. "Altoona has some of the strongest hitters in the conference but we fought for every point."

"The season is not a sprint, but a marathon," added Herrmann. "This was just one game and we are moving forward now.  We have a great team and wonderful girls, we just have to keep from getting discouraged and maintain our level of play."

The Lady Barons, 6-9 overall and 1-2 in the AMCC, play their next conference game at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford this Saturday at 1:00 p.m.