Franciscan 3 La Roche 2
Franciscan Starters
Renee Antonelli, Emily Nutter, Caitlin O'Malley, Lucy Pridemore, Maria Bosco, Brynn Jacobson & libero - Sara Moore
La Roche Starters
Nulph, Herzer, Jeric, Rossi, Melko & Kerkan
How It Happened
The Franciscan Women's Volleyball team secured their first win of the 2021 season at La Roche on Thursday night in a five set thriller. The Barons came out strong, as they won the first two sets, but La Roche responded by winning the next pair. That led to a winner-take-all fifth set, which Franciscan would win 15-11. This was the first win for 1st year Head Coach Jordan Barton.
In the first set, Lucy Pridemore had the first Franciscan kill to set the score at 2-2. Renee Antonelli then went back to serve and Franciscan would go on a nine point rally. The Redhawks would battle back though, as they were able to tie it back up at 21-21. A La Roche service error would give Franciscan the lead back at 22-21. Freshman Brynn Jacobson went back to serve, and after a couple rallies Maria Bosco was able to kill one for the 23rd point. Jacobson the delivered an ace, and Emily Nutter would record a kill to take the first set 25-21.
The second set started out with both teams trading points, until the score stood at 10-10. Jacobson continued her strong night, as she added a couple more kills to help give Franciscan a 15-13 lead. Franciscan was able to hold the lead the rest of the way; it would get to within two points again at 22-20. Then Renee Antonelli took over with three straight kills to take the second set.
Franciscan looked to be all in control of set number three, as they jumped out to an early 6-2 lead. The Redhawks fought hard to tie it up at 12-12. La Roche took over on a 13-4 run including five points in a row to close it out at 25-16.
Momentum had officially shifted to La Roche, as they came out strong in set four. The y were able to stretch their early lead to an 8-2 edge. Jacobson was able to end the La Roche run with an emphatic kill. The Redhawks still held control, as they would be up 20-12 later on in the fourth set. Franciscan would go on a run of their own behind an ace from Sara Moore and a pair of kills from Emma McDonald. They would tie it up at 21-21, but the Redhawks would finish it out, as they won 25-23.
Franciscan came out strong in the decisive fifth set, as Sara Moore would earn two aces in the early going. La Roche would battle it back to a 6-6 game, but then the Barons would go on a 6-0 run to take a commanding 12-6 lead. It felt like Franciscan had won already, but La Roche responded with a 4-0 run which forced Coach Barton to call a timeout. The ladies responded with a pair of points off of La Roche errors, and then Renee Antonelli's power was too much for the Redhawks, as she earned the final kill to win the match.
Inside the Numbers
- Renee Antonelli led all players with 13 kills.
- Brynn Jacobson and Renee Antonelli each had double digit kills and digs on the day.
- Sara Moore led Franciscan with 19 digs; Herzer from La Roche led all players with 32 saves.
- Emily Nutter added 33 assists.
- Franciscan had 14 kills in the second set, their most in a set thus far this season.
Who's Next?
The Lady Barons will have a couple of days to prepare for their first PAC tri-match of the season. Thiel and Westminster come to Finnegan Fieldhouse for conference matchups with each team playing two games on Saturday. The Lady Barons will face Westminster in Game #1 at 11:00 am. The Titans are the defending PAC Champions and favored to win the 2021 season. They will be a tough test for the Lady Barons who have lost their last four matchups with the Titans. Their lone win against Westminster came in 2012, as Anna Cain led the way with 11 kills and three blocks. Westminster and Thiel will square off in Game #2 which is scheduled for 1 pm. In Game #3, which is scheduled for 3 pm, Franciscan plays Westminster. The Lady Barons are still searching for their first win against the Tomcats, as they are 0-2 all-time. Last season the Tomcats swept the Lady Barons 3-0 up in Greenville, Pa.
Stay Connected
Be sure to follow Franciscan University on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the most in-depth coverage of FUS athletics.
