MONACA, Pa.–It was the first match and the first win of the season for Franciscan University of Steubenville's Lady Baron volleyball team, defeating Penn State Beaver Saturday 3-0.

"The team played a really good first match; they came out strong today and played well. The women had a few lapses where the other team caught up a little bit, but overall they played a good game," said head coach Kelly Herrmann.

The Lady Barons debute two new starters this year, Maria Prezzia and Amy O'Keefe. O'Keefe, a freshman from Pittsburgh, had 21 assists on the day and she is "learning and handling the ball really well," said Herrmann. Two other notable performances came from Alyssa Wappes and Anna Cain.

Wappes tallied two aces and nine digs. Middlehitter Cain added two aces, eight kills, and one block.

The Lady Barons preconference season will last for a couple of weeks. Herrmann is ready for these matches to set the pace, noting, "The Lady Barons need to do better than they did last year during these games."

Coach Herrmann added that this game plan will better prepare the team for its conference competition. The Lady Barons host their next game on Monday, Sept. 5, versus Muskingum College at 7 p.m.