Grove City 3, Franciscan 1
Franciscan Starters
Renee Antonelli, Emily Nutter, Caitlin O'Malley, Lucy Pridemore, Maria Bosco, Emma McDonald & libero - Sara Moore
Grove City Starters
Kim, Kerr, Keating, DeGraaf, Pry Donnelly, & libero - Lathem
How It Happened
The Lady Barons battled hard, as they have continued to improve all season. They fell in 3-1 at Grove City. Renee Antonelli set a new program record with 21 kills in a four set match in the loss.
A back and forth start to set number one resulted in a 7-7 score. The Wolverines went on a 3-0 run to stretch out a lead, but Renee Antonelli snapped the run with her second kill of the night. Antonelli would continue her strong play with three more kills in a battle to fight it back to a 20-20 game. Franciscan was able to take a lead late at 23-21, but Grove City was able to respond again with a 3-0 run. Brynn Jacobson was able to tie it back up at 24-24 with a massive kill. Unfortunately, Grove City was able to sring together a pair of points to win 26-24.
Caitlin O'Malley and Renee Antonelli had early kills in set two, to help Franciscan jump out to an early 6-3 edge. Two 3-0 runs from the Wolverines helped them retake the lead at 9-7. Once again Franciscan was able to fight back and tie it up at 20-20. With Franciscan trailing 24-23, Jacobson added a huge kill, and Sara Moore delivered an ace to put Franciscan one point from victory at 25-24. Two Grove City kills and an ace would help them close out set two, to put Franciscan down two sets to none.
Set number three was the Lady Barons worst start to a set, as they would be trailing 15-8. A 4-0 Franciscan run tightened the gap momentarily until Grove City had an identical run of their own. A 13-5 run would ensue to give the Lady Barons a 25-24 lead. Grove City was able to retake control and the lead at 26-25. With the match on the line Brynn Jacobson delivered a kill to keep the game alive. Franciscan was finally able to get the final, decisive point, as a 3-0 run would give them a 29-27 set win.
Set number four was the first set that Franciscan was the first team to 15 points, as they led 15-12. Renee Antonelli had five kills in the first 15 points for Franciscan, as she continued her stellar day. With Franciscan leading 18-15, Grove City would take over and go on a 10-2 run to take down the set and win the match.
Inside the Numbers
- Antonelli's 21 kills is the most in a four set match in program history.
- 50 set assists are the most Franciscan has had in a game all season.
- 39 set assists is a season high by Emily Nutter.
- Sara Morre had three aces on the night.
- Four Lady Barons had double digit kills on the night.
Who's Next?
Franciscan will travel to Geneva on Saturday for another weekend PAC tri-match. Franciscan will face Geneva and Bethany while up in Beaver Falls. In the first game, the Lady Barons will be in search of their first win ever against the Golden Tornadoes, as they are 0-7 all-time against them. In game two, Franciscan will be battling against our close PAC rival Bethany. The Lady Barons have only beat the Bison once in Volleyball which came in a non-conference game in 2019. Meghan Bayer had 17 kills to lead the Lady Barons to the four set win at Bethany.
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