Geneva 3, Franciscan 1
Franciscan Starters
Renee Antonelli, Emily Nutter, Caitlin O'Malley, Lucy Pridemore, Maria Bosco, Emma McDonald & libero - Sara Moore
Geneva Starters
Townsend, Neville, Byers, Peachey, Mummau & Schmidt
How It Happened
The Lady Barons headed to Beaver Falls for what was originally scheduled as a tri-match, but it turned into just one match against host Geneva. The Golden Tornadoes would go on to win in fours sets, 3-1.
In set number one, Franciscan could not get their offense going, as Geneva jumped out to a 16-5 lead quickly. Franciscan would only have five kills the entire set with two coming from freshman Brynn Jacobson. Geneva would win 25-11.
Set number two started out much better, as Jacobson would add three early kills to help set the score at 6-4. The Lady Barons would go on to expand their lead at 10-6 thanks to a couple Geneva errors and a kill by Renee Antonelli. Caitlin O'Malley added a pair of kills, as it seemed Franciscan was in control and maintaining up to a four point edge. Then Geneva was able to tie it up at 16-16 and keep up the attack, as a 9-4 run would give Geneva the second set win.
Franciscan came out strong in the third set, as they would lead 5-1. Geneva fought hard to tie it back up at 9-9, but then Renee Antonelli added another massive kill to give Franciscan the lead back at 10-9. O'Malley and Pridemore would also add kills to help stretch the Franciscan lead back up to three points at 15-12. Geneva would manage to tie it back up at 18-18. Franciscan looked ready to seize the game as they would go on a 5-1 run to be two points away from winning their first set of the day. Geneva responded with a 5-0 run of their own to retake the lead and be at match point 23-24. Franciscan did not shy away from the challenge, as they scored three points in a row, two of which came on Brynn Jacobson kills to take set number three, 26-24.
Geneva came out angry and motivated in set number four, as they jumped out to a 9-4 lead. Maria Bosco added a kill to help cut the lead to three at 9-6. Unfortunately, that would be as close as Franciscan would get to the lead. A 16-4 Geneva run including a 7-0 run to end the set would give Geneva the fourth set and the match.
Inside the Numbers
- Brynn Jacobson and Renee Antonelli had 11 kills each on the day.
- Lucy Pridemore had a big defensive day with six blocks.
- Emily Nutter had 30 set assists, her 4th game in arow with at least 30 assists.
- Renee Antonelli had another double double, as she added 10 digs.
- Geneva's serves gave Franciscan fits all day, as the Golden Tornadoes had 20 service aces
Who's Next?
Franciscan will return home to face Waynesburg Tuesday night at 7 pm. These two teams met earlier this season, with Franciscan coming out on top 3-2. Renee Antonelli led the way with 15 kills, and Sara Morre posted 36 digs in the five set thriller. Franciscan trailed two sets to one heading into the fourth set, and they were able to pull out wins in the fourth and fifth set to come from behind and win.
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