Franciscan 3, Waynesburg 2

Franciscan Starters 
Gracie Francis, Cassidy McCollum, Tessa Miller, Annelise Davis,  Grace Wallace, Mary Jean Cadman, & libero - Sara Moore 

How It Happened 
Franciscan Women's Volleyball hosted Waynesburg on Wednesday evening for a PAC conference matchup. The Barons beat the Yellow Jackets in four sets earlier this season, so the Baron faithful had a good feeling heading into this matchup. One major difference was that Rani Hebert, who had a big game at Waynesburg in the victory, would not be in the lineup for Head Coach Sean Cleary tonight. Gabrielle Disselkamp would fill the missing offensive production, as she would have 29.0 points to lead the Barons to a reverse sweep win over the Yellow Jackets. 

The Barons would look lost in the first set, as an early 12-1 lead from the Yellow Jackets developed. The Barons battled hard and showed some flashes of success, but the Yellow Jackets would win 25-18. 

The second set would be much more back and forth, as the Barons had regrouped after the first set. Waynesburg would go on a 4-0 run to take a commanding lead at 20-16. Cadman stopped the run with a big kill, but unfortunately the visitors would close out this set 25-21.

It was looking bleak in set three, as the Yellow Jackets took an early 15-10 lead. With a score of 17-11, the Barons would flip momentum after a big kill from Disselkamp. She then served back to back aces to gather the attention of Waynesburg. The Yellow Jackets would regroup and hold onto the lead. At 20-18, Cadman answered the call with a kill before Elizabeth Luebbers added one of her own to tie it at 20-20. The Barons would take advantage of some Waynesburg miscues, and Disselkamp would register set-point to give the Barons the third set. 

Franciscan kept up the momentum, as they flew out to a 6-0 lead in set four. Waynesburg would respond, as they quickly retook the lead at 10-9. Action would be back and forth, as the Yellow Jackets would hold a small lead at 19-18. Gracie Francis would tie it up with a kill from the middle, and the Barons would not look back. A 7-0 run would close out the fourth set and send us to the fifth set.  

Waynesburg opened up the final set on a 3-0 run, but the Barons would answer with a 5-0 to retake the lead. A lead they would not relinquish. The Barons would have another 5-0 run and a 4-0 run in this set, while Disselkamp put the finishing touches on her career day with five more kills in the final set. The Barons completed the reverse sweep to take a crucial PAC win to set their record at 11-9 (2-3 PAC).

The Barons now sit in a tie for seventh place in the PAC standings. The top six teams at the end of the regular season will make the PAC Tournament.

Inside the Numbers 
- 29.0 points from Disselkamp set a new program record for most in a game.
- She had just six errors to hold a .385 attack percentage. 
- Grace Wallace had 45 assists and 28 digs to lead the Barons.
- Davis led the Barons with four aces.
- Tessa Miller had the most blocks (2) for the Barons.

Who's Next? 
Franciscan will return to action on Saturday at Allegheny. This will be their first matchup against the Gators this season, as the Barons are 1-3 all-time against them. They are in search of their first win against them since 2012. Anna Cain led the way in that win for Franciscan with 20.5 points, including 16 kills in a five-set battle. The Gators come into this matchup with a winning record in PAC play this season, as they are battling for one of the top seeds in the PAC Tournament.

Stay Connected 
Be sure to follow Franciscan Athletics on Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the most in-depth coverage.