Franciscan 3, Penn State Beaver 1
Franciscan Starters
Renee Antonelli, Gracie Francis, Grace Wallace, Rani Hebert, Elizabeth Luebbers, Gabrielle Disselkamp & libero - Sara Moore
Penn State Beaver Starters
Shychuck, Baker, Guzman, King, Stamper, Simpkins, & libero - Cook
How It Happened
Franciscan Women's Volleyball extended their winning streak to four matches in a row, as they defeated Penn State Beaver on Tuesday night at Indian Creek High School. Indian Creek graduates, Renee Antonelli and Gracie Francis each had strong days in their first game played in the brand new gym on the campus of Indian Creek. Antonelli led the Barons with a season high 20 kills in the win.
The first set did not start as planned for the Barons, as the Lions jumped out to an early 6-1 lead. Elizabeth Luebbers would record Franciscan's first kill of the game, but then Penn State Beaver would have a 5-0 run to set the score at 11-3. Antonelli would get it going for Franciscan, as she added four kills to help pull Franciscan to within five points at 14-9. Another 6-0 run would give the Lions a commanding 20-9 lead. Franciscan would not quit, as an 11-3 run, including three more Antonelli kills, would set the score at 23-20. The Lions would settle down and finish of the set at 25-22.
Head Coach Jordan Barton was clearly not happy with her team, and she was able to get them going in set two. The Lions would be leading 2-0 initially, but then Franciscan would go on a massive 9-0 run. Disselkamp and Luebbers each picked up one kill in the early run. After two Lion's points, Franciscan would get back on the attack with a 4-0 run, including two aces from Disselkamp. The Barons would be the first to 15 points at 15-6. They would not look back, as they closed out the Lions 25-11. Gabrielle Disselkamp really heated up late in the set with kills in Franciscan's final five points.
Gracie Francis started off set three with a pair of kills, and Disselkamp added another pair to give Franciscan an early 6-0 lead. Franciscan would keep the offense going, as they would hold a 15-2 lead. Libero Sara Moore served for seven straight points, including a pair of aces. Renee Antonelli would keep up her strong play, as she added three more kills to give Franciscan a 20-7 edge. Francis and Disselkamp would add one more kill a piece down the stretch to close this one out at 25-10.
A total team effort would help the Barons jump out to a 6-2 lead in set four. Luebbers, Hebert, Disselkamp and Francis each had one kill in the first six points. Antonelli would go on a strong personal run of four straight points, three on kills and one on an ace, to set the score at 10-4. Franciscan would hold a 15-6 lead, but the Lions would battle back into this one. They pulled to within six at 19-13, but then a pair of kills from Hebert and one from Leubbers would officially put this one out of reach. Rani Hebert ended this one with a service ace on the first match point to give Franciscan the win.
Inside the Numbers
- Antonelli had four kills a season high for any Franciscan player, just one shy of her career high.
- Franciscan had 53 kills, their most in a game this season.
- Grace Wallace had four aces to lead the Barons; the team tied their season-high with 15 on the night.
- Wallace set a program record with 43 set assists in the four set match.
- Sara Moore had her third 20+ dig game of the season with 25 on the night.
Who's Next?
Franciscan is set to host La Roche on Thursday at STEUBENVILLE CATHOLIC CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL - 320 WESTWOOD AVE STEUBENVILLE OH, 43952. The Barons have had success over the Redhawks over the years, as they are 17-4 all-time. They beat them last season in a five set matchup where Franciscan won the first two sets. Renee Antonelli led the way with 13 kills, and Sara Moore had 19 digs in the victory last season in Pittsburgh.
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