Franciscan 3, Bethany 2

Franciscan Starters 
Meghan Hickey, Grace Wallace, Mary Jean Cadman, Sarah Clyde, Tessa Miller, Ava King & libero - Sara Moore 

How It Happened 
The historic run continued on Thursday evening, as Franciscan made the trip to Bethany and beat the Bison in five sets to extend their winning streak to eight games. This would be the Barons first win at Bethany since 2019 and second win against them this season.

Tessa Miller, Mary Jean Cadman, and Elizabeth Luebbers would all record kills, as the Barons took a 6-2 lead in the opening set. Bethany would answer with a 5-0 run to take their first lead of the night. Franciscan would fight back to tie it up at 11-11, but they would not see a lead for the rest of this set. Cadman would pull the Barons within one at 21-22, but the Bison would be able to shut the door and take a 1-0 lead.

Gabrielle Disselkamp would pick up three kills in the early going of set two to help the Barons take a 10-5 edge in set two. They kept on the offensive attack, as they maintained their lead of five points at 11-6. They appeared to be in total control, as they reached set point with a score of 24-16. The Bison would make it interesting with six straight points, but then Tessa Miller would find the elusive 25th point with a kill to even the score at 1-1.

The Bison would be in total control of set three, as they would be the first to 15 at 15-7. The Barons would not quit, as an 11-3 run would give the Barons the lead and all the momentum. Sarah Clyde would add a pair of aces to stretch the lead up to three at 21-18. The Bison though would answer with three straight points to tie it up, and then go one to take the fourth set 26-24.

This appeared to be Bethany's match now, as they jumped out to a 9-3 advantage in the fourth set. Luebbers and Disselkamp would provide several large kills, as the Barons clawed their way out of the hole to tie it up at 17-17. They would even hold the lead at 19-18, but then the Bison would go on a run to set the score at 22-19. Coach Jen Hickey would call a timeout to rally the troops. The Barons answered with kills from Luebbers and Disselkamp to pull within one, but then Bethany would have a kill of their own to take a 23-21 edge. It was looking quite grim, but the Barons would not lose hope. Instead, they surged forward with a 4-0 run to take the set and shock the Bison. 

That momentum would carry into the fifth set, as the Barons would take a 3-0 edge in the race to 15. Bethany would answer and take the lead back at 6-5, but then a Franciscna 4-0 run would put them back in control. Luebbers and King would add massive kills down the stretch, as the Barons would hold a 13-9 edge. Cadman would put the exclamation point on it with a kill to end it at 15-11 to give the Barons the 3-2 victory. 

Inside the Numbers 
- Cadman, Luebbers, and Disselkamp all recorded double-digit kills.
- Kaitlan Hickey had five service aces.
- Sara Moore had a season-high 31 digs.
- The Barons had 63 kills, and Bethany had 40.

Up Next
Franciscan will continue their stretch of three road games in three consecutive days, as they head to Geneva on Friday evening. It will be a con-conference contest, as the Barons search for their first win all-time against the Golden Tornadoes. Geneva has played a tough non-conference slate and hold a record below .500 at the moment, but it will surely be a tough test for the Barons once again in Beaver Falls.

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