Franciscan 3, Saint Vincent 0

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

How It Happened 
Franciscan and Saint Vincent entered Wednesday's play in a tie for third in the PAC South Division. The top four teams from each division make the postseason, so this was a pivotal PAC match for both teams with just a handful of contests remaining in the regular season. Saint Vincent was able to sweep Franciscan earlier this season in Latrobe, and the Barons were able to return the favor tonight by sweeping the Bearcats in Steubenville in a statement win.

Saint Vincent controlled the opening set in the early going, but Franciscan was able to tie it up at 9-9 after a kill from Therese Heisler. The score was tied on five different occasions, but a 5-2 run by the Barons gave them a 20-17 edge. Caroline Linklater, Tessa Miller, and Logan Hickey each added kills down the stretch to keep the lead and take the first set. 

Set two was much more back-and-forth, with the score tied on 12 different occasions. Logan Hickey highlighted this set with 11 kills on 22 swings (.500) for one of her best sets to date. The Barons held their largest lead of the set at 15-11, but the Bearcats stormed back to tie it up at 16 all. The Bearcats even served for the set at 24-23, but Logan Hickey came through with her 10th kill of the set to tie it back up at 24. Kill number 11 came in as a set point to give Franciscan a 2-0 edge on the night.

The Bearcats came out strong in the third and controlled the lead until the Barons were able to tie it up at 12-12. Hickey added a pair of big kills to help the Barons take a five-point lead at 17-12. It looked like the Barons were going to cruise to a sweep, but the Bearcats answered with five consecutive points to tie it up at 17-17. When the Barons needed it most, Hickey rallied three consecutive kills to take the lead back 20-17. The Barons controlled the remainder of the set, including a pair of kills from their veteran, Cadman, to close it out and earn the massive PAC win.

Inside the Numbers 
- Logan Hickey added her name to the record books once more with 25 kills, the most by a Baron in a three-set match. She broke Maria Ciola's record of 23 kills that she got against Hilbert in 2018.
- Mary Smart set the program record for most set assists in a three-set match with 44. She broke Grace Wallace's mark of 40 against La Roche in 2023. 
- 51 kills by the Barons are the most in a three-set match in program history.
- The Barons swung a .291 attack percentage, their best in a conference match this season.
- Miller and Heisler each had four total blocks.
- Hickey had 23 digs to lead all players.

Up Next
Franciscan remains at home to take on Grove City on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. This is the lone match this season between the Wolverines and Barons, as Franciscan is trying to beat them for the first time since 2022. In that four-set win, Gabrielle Disselkamp and Renee Antonelli each had 21 kills. Grove City, like Franciscan, is trying to lock down a playoff spot still with just a few games left. 

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