BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Franciscan volleyball team wrapped up the regular season with a 3-0 sweep of D'Youville and earned the No. 4 seed in the 2016 AMCC Tournament.

"We played good, confident all-around volleyball today," remarked head coach Kelly Herrmann. "We were able to play with confidence and that led to being able to pass, set and hit well. All of the essentials to a good match."

The Lady Baron offense was a balanced attack today as sophomore Maria Ciola led the team with nine kills and freshman Roz Pridemore and sophomore Becca Haven each had six. Freshman Maddie Raffa finished the day with four kills while Annie Nehrbas and Monica Rigaud each had three.

"Mary Moore had a great day passing today and that really allowed us to get all of our hitters involved."

A key to the Lady Barons' victories all year has been their strong and aggressive serving and today was no different. Franciscan finished the match with 11 service aces, including three from senior Rachel Potopa and Ciola.

The Lady Baron front line was able to keep the Spartan hitters off balance all match and kept them from getting into a rhythm. "Monica was just great at the net. She finished with four and a half blocks, an incredible four solo blocks. That's something great to see."

Franciscan took control of the match early and never let off the gas pedal. The Lady Barons won the first two sets easily, 25-13, 25-15, before battling in a closer third set, but coming away with a 25-18 victory.

The win plus a La Roche win and the AMCC tie break rules gives the Lady Barons the fourth seed in the AMCC tournament. This appearance is Franciscan's sixth-straight appearance in the conference tournament, dating back to the 2011 season when Franciscan became a full member of the NCAA and eligible for postseason play.

Franciscan will host D'Youville on Wednesday in the quarterfinals at 7pm.