Franciscan 2, Westminster 3

Franciscan Starters 
Mary Jean Cadman, Sarah Clyde, Tessa Miller, Logan Hickey, Mary Smart, Therese Heisler, and libero - Kaitlan Hickey

How It Happened 
It was a historic day in New Wilmington. Logan Hickey broke the program record for kills in a season, as she passed Anna Cain's mark of 332 in 2015. Unfortunately, the Barons fell in a five-set thriller.

It did not take long for Logan Hickey to break the record for most kills in a season by a Baron. She entered the game in need of four kills to break Cain's record, and she was able to achieve that in Franciscan's first seven points. Cain set that mark in 33 games while winning the AMCC Championship in 2015. Hickey was able to break the record in just her 20th collegiate game. The record-breaking kill set the score at 7-9, but the Barons battled back to take an 11-10 lead. Each team had the lead several times throughout the set, which led to a 21-21 tie. The Barons rallied for a 4-0 run, including a pair of service aces from Kaitlan Hickey, to take the first set. 

The Barons continued their run in the second set, as they scored the first three points to take the early edge. The Titans were able to tie up up at 5-5, but they never were able to take the lead for a while. A 5-0 run on Caroline Linklater's serve gave the Barons their largest lead of the day at 19-13. The Titans answered with a run of their own, as six consecutive points tied it up at 19-19. Franciscan answered with two consecutive points to take the lead, but the Titans spoiled this set with a 6-0 run to win it. 

The Barons responded in the third, as they took a 4-1 lead with a kill from Cadman and Hickey. A 7-0 Titan run flipped the momentum to the home team and gave them a four-point edge. Franciscan did not take long to answer, as a 5-0 run quickly gave Franciscan a 10-9 advantage. Cadman led the Barons with five kills in this set, as she helped the Barons push the lead up to 14-10. The Barons were able to take that lead to a set-point scenario at 24-22, but the Titans kept battling. Three straight points from the home team gave them a chance to serve for set-point. Thankfully, the resilient Barons answered with three straight points to take the third set by a score of 27-25.

The Titans came out ready in set four, as they were the first to 15 at a score of 15-7. The Barons were able to cut it to within three points at 19-16, but that was as close as they would get to the lead for the rest of the set. Titans force a fifth set with a 25-20 win.

Franciscan took the early edge in the fifth. After a Linklater ace, the Barons led 7-4 in the race to 15. A 4-0 run by the Titans erased that advantage, but a kill from Hickey and Cadman gave the Barons a 9-8 lead. That was the last lead for the Barons. With the score at 10-10, the Titans scored five straight points, including three kills to earn the conference win.

Inside the Numbers 
- Logan Hickey recorded her second 20+ double double with 20 kills and 21 digs.
- Cadman had 15 kills and 15 digs.
- Linklater had a team-high three aces.
- Smart tied her season-high with 40 set assists.

Up Next
Franciscan has four regular-season matches left, three of which will be played at Finnegan Fieldhouse. On Tuesday, the Barons will host Saint Vincent. In their first PAC match of the season, the Bearcats swept the Barons. Since then, the Barons have played better than the Bearcats, but both are in a battle for one of the four playoff spots out of the PAC South Division. The Barons are looking to beat them at home for the first time since the 2020-21 season.

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