PITTSBURGH – The Franciscan University Lady Barons dropped a competitive match against the Carlow University Lady Celtics on Tuesday, 3-1. The Lady Barons kept it close with competitive defense (21-25, 22-25, 25-19, 20-25) but could not sustain the offensive momentum to put away the Lady Celtics.

The Lady Barons were handed their first two losses in the match with a combined deficit of only four points. Franciscan won the third game by five points, the highest differential of the night. They then dropped the fourth and final game by only five points, losing 25-20.

"Our effort was tremendous," FUS head coach Kelly Herrmann said. "We believe that these tough losses will benefit us down the stretch."

The Lady Barons demonstrated solid defense with Sam Kelly earning 27 digs, Christina Lawrence getting 22 digs and Maria Prezzia adding 16. Offensively, Anna Cain had 11 kills and Dani Link struck 10 kills on the night.

"Dani and Anna played well and Sam continues to play great defense," Herrmann said. "We need to keep working to improve to be a complete all around team."

The Lady Barons (7-12, 2-2 AMCC) were stretched thin this week with back-to-back games; they fell to Washington & Jefferson last night. They look to bounce back with a Homecoming game against Chatham University as part of the annual Dig Pink event benefitting breast cancer awareness. The event commences at 2 p.m this Saturday, October 6.