Franciscan 3, Geneva 2

Franciscan Starters 
Mary Updike, Sarah Clyde, Tessa Miller, Logan Hickey, Molly Quinn, Angela Sweeney, and libero - Kaitlan Hickey

How It Happened 
Franciscan made the early morning trip to Geneva for a 10:00 a.m. start in this conference matchup. Metheny Fieldhouse has been a house of horrors for the Barons over the years, but not today, as the Barons secured their first win in Beaver Falls to earn a huge PAC win. With the win, the Barons are now 7-7 on the year and 3-3 in PAC play.

Franciscan took the lead at 1-0 and did not look back in the opening set. With the score at 4-3, the Barons went on a 9-0 run to take a commanding lead. Sarah Clyde had a pair of aces, and Mary Jean Cadman had three kills on that massive run. The Barons were clicking on all cylinders, as they held a .409 attack percentage in the dominant 25-11 first set.

Geneva tightened it up in the second set, as they held their first lead of the day at 3-2. Cadman again led the Barons with three kills in the middle of the set to swing the momentum. Then a Franciscan 6-0 run with two kills from Logan Hickey gave them a 16-10 lead. Geneva was able to pull to within two points at 22-20, but the Barons were able to close out the set and take a 2-0 edge on the day.

The Golden Tornadoes looked like a totally different team to start the third set, as an 8-1 run with five kills gave them a commanding lead. The Barons were able to battle back and cut it to a two-point game multiple times. Geneva served for set point at 24-21, and the Barons rallied with a pair of points, but then Geneva got a kill to take the set.

The freshman duo of Caroline Linklater and Logan Hickey led the Barons to a 15-11 edge in the fourth set. The Golden Tornadoes clawed back into the set to tie it at 17-17. Geneva was able to gather the lead, but then a Franciscan 5-0 run, including a pair of Cadman kills, gave the Barons a 23-20 edge. Geneva was not phased, as they answered with five consecutive points, including three aces, to win the fourth set. 

It all came down to the fifth set. The Barons were the first to eight at 8-7 and poured on a couple more points to take a four-point edge at 12-8. The race to 15 was not enough, as we were tied at 14-14 and went to a win by two points scenario. The Barons fended off two match point scenarios before rallying three points together to secure victory. 
 
Inside the Numbers 
- Logan Hickey led the Barons with 24 kills and a .412 attack percentage in her 5th game of 20+ kills this season.
- Cadman had a career-best 21 kills and an impressive .409 attack percentage.
- Mary Smart had a career-high 40 set assists.
- The Barons had nine blocks to the Golden Tornadoes, two.
- Geneva had 15 aces to Franciscan's eight.
- 59 kills are the most in a match all season for the Barons

Up Next
Franciscan returns home to take on Washington & Jefferson on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. It will be Athletics Giving Day at Franciscan with free admission and concessions for all fans. A pivotal PAC matchup will take place, as the Barons look to beat the Presidents and climb up the PAC South standings. Last season, the Barons were swept by them, but in 2023, Franciscan beat them twice. W&J is above the Barons in the standings at the moment, but this is the first of two meetings in 2025.

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