STEUBENVILLE – The Franciscan volleyball team is off to a hot start at home as the Lady Barons defeated Waynesburg, 3-1, Thursday evening for their third-straight win and second-straight victory at home.
 
"I am really proud of this team and how they work together," remarked head coach Kelly Herrmann. "They really pick each other up and support each other no matter what happens. I think when we pass well, we could play with anyone but we need to get more consistent."
 
Once again leading the Lady Barons was sophomore Renee Antonelli with 14 kills will junior Meghan Bayer posted 10. Junior Sydney Riley dished out five service aces while Caite O'Malley and Antonelli each had three. Sophomore Emily Nutter dished out 14 assists while Riley had 13.
 
Defensively, junior Lauren Betar had 18 digs while Marykate Taylor added 15 for the Lady Barons.
 
As a team, Franciscan hit .126 for the match, including an impressive 0.370 in set four. The Lady Barons had 11 kills on 27 attempts with just one hitting error.
 
Franciscan led the match with 13 service aces, 69 digs, and 38 kills as a team.
 
The Lady Barons won the first two sets, 26-24, 25-23 before dropping the third set 25-21 to force a fourth. Franciscan dominated from the beginning of the fourth set and won 25-14 to pick up the match win.
 
Franciscan will hit the road once again this weekend as the Lady Barons head to Pittsburgh, PA to face Houghton and Clarks Summit on the campus of La Roche on Saturday.