BETHANY, W.Va. - Franciscan volleyball team wrapped up its last of four consecutive nonconference games in a tri-match Saturday, losing to both host Bethany College (W.V.) and Grove City in straight sets.

"We felt pretty good about our performance against Grove City," head coach Kelly Hermann said. "We lost in a close three but we could have won in a close three. It is what it is. Bethany is a really strong team. After a day like today, you can't get too freaked out losing to a team like Bethany. With every team, you have to respect them but play hard and have the mindset that you are playing to win. In that regard, we could have played a little better against Bethany but I was pretty happy with the Grove City match."

Franciscan came into both matches having to make an adjustment in the way the team runs its offense with freshman setter Becca Haven sitting the bench due to injury. Herrmann decided to run a 6-2 offense, using junior setters Mary Moore and Rachel Potopa on the court at the same time. The shift in offense harkens back to seasons past as teams from previous years used to run the 6-2 as their primary offense.

"The benefit to running a 6-2 is that you have three hitters in the front row in every rotation," Herrmann said. "That takes a little pressure off you offensively to execute. Generally, throughout most of the day, I thought our setters made good decisions, were doing a good job moving the ball around."

By the end of the Bethany match, however, Herrmann reverted back to 5-1, running the offense through Moore, who finished with 30 assists between the two matches.

"For Mary to go in and run a 5-1 is just good experience for her, good experience for the team," Herrmann said.

The first match against Grove City was competitive with set scores of 21-25, 23-25 and 20-25. Stats even favored the Lady Barons in most categories: kills (41-39), hitting percentage (.173 to .171), assists (39-37), digs (78-67) and blocks (7-1). Therefore, the outcome could have favored either team.

"I told the team that they should feel pretty good about that match," Herrmann said. "Those are variables in volleyball where you have to work for consistency in every point."

Bethany was more of a different opponent, bringing a much stronger attack that startled the Lady Barons right from the beginning, jumping out to a fast 8-2 lead in the first set and never looking back.

The final score of the Bethany match was 12-25, 21-25 and 16-25.

"Because we walk on the court knowing they are a tough team, that doesn't mean we should lose focus," Herrmann said. "Bethany hit hard and if you're not playing your best, they're going to beat you. They're just that kind of a team. We battled back in some of the games. You can never give any team that much credit."

Senior outside hitter/defensive specialist Christina Lawrence was the most consistent player throughout the two matches, playing the entirety of the first match and most of the second and finishing with 15 total kills and 28 total digs.

"Christina just has this ability to be super aggressive," Herrmann said. "No block scares her. She just goes for everything. Some players have that ability more than others, and that's what you need."

Sophomore right side hitter Bella Wedig also had a strong afternoon with six kills and eight digs across the two matches in her first opportunity to play a full rotation all season.

"I thought that Bella played well," Herrmann said. "She is so aggressive defensively. She'll dive, she'll work hard to get to every ball. I thought that she was doing a good job even though our team was struggling a little bit in the second game."

Franciscan will now shift its focus back to the AMCC with just four more conference games remaining and only five games left in the regular season. Currently, Franciscan sits in third place with a 4-1 record behind Penn State Behrend and Medaille, who are both undefeated.

The Lady Barons will travel to Pitt.-Greensburg to resume conference play on Wednesday, October 21 at 7 p.m.