Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 Franciscan 1, Gettysburg 3

How It Happened 
Franciscan made the trip to Messiah University Friday afternoon to participate in the school's annual volleyball invitational over the weekend. The Barons played three games over the two-day competition, with its lone match Friday coming against the Bullets. After four sets, the visiting Bullets were victorious.

Franciscan started out strong in set one, going up 6-2, with kills by Logan Hickey. A stretch of runs allowed Gettysburg to tie it at seven, followed by five straight points by the Barons, then six straight by Gettysburg. Two kills by Anna Guard put Franciscan up 16-13, and solidify a lead that the Barons would not give up, winning the set 25-18.

Set two had the Barons score six straight after being down 6-3 to go up three, however, Gettysburg tied it at 10. Kills by Caroline Linklater and Guard helped put the Barons in front four more times in the set, but the Bullets erased each deficit and scored four of the final six points after trailing 20-19. In set three, the first 18 points were evenly split, before the visitors went on a 9-0 run. Franciscan could not get within eight points, and the Bullets won 25-14. 

Just like set two, the first 18 points led to a 9-9 tie, before the opposition took control of the set. The tie then led to a 11-2 run, before the Barons scored five straight, led by kills from Logan Hickey. However, the Barons would only get one more point before the Bullets got point 25.
 
Inside the Numbers 
- Digs were pretty even, as it was 85 for Gettysburg and 83 for Franciscan.
- Reese Anderson and Meg Smart each recorded 15+ assists.
- Therese Heisler and Hollyann Zitkovich led the team in block assists with three each.

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Franciscan 3, Messiah 0

How It Happened 
The Barons opened play Saturday morning with a sweep over the hosts. Despite trailing multiple times in each set, the Barons were the only team to reach the 25th point in every set.

After a 8-7 Messiah lead early on in the first set, the Falcons scored six of the next eight to go up five. Continuing to face the same type of deficit at 18-13, kills by Guard and Miller spurred a 10-2 Baron run to go up 23-20. Messiah then tied it at 23, before a kill by Logan Hickey and block assists by Sarah Clyde and Caroline Linklater sealed the last two points to have the Barons win by the slimmest of margins.

In set two, Franciscan and Messiah traded points early, leading to a 9-8 Baron lead. Kills by Logan Hickey, Guard, Miller, and Linklater helped sustain the Baron offense. After the Falcons made it 12-10, Franciscan scored six of the next eight to go up 18-12. The Barons would continue pushing to go up nine at one point (23-14), and after a short run by the hosts, the Barons once again scored the final two points of the frame. 

Messiah started set three with a 5-3 lead, a 9-7 lead, and 11-9 lead, but each deficit was locked down by the Barons. The points continued to back and forth, before a 5-1 Baron run sealed the lead for the visitors for good, and two kills by Logan Hickey sealed the win for the Barons.
 
Inside the Numbers 
- Logan Hickey and Guard led team in attacks with 59 and 38, respectively.
- Franciscan had 66 digs, compared to the Falcons' 65.
- The Barons recorded six aces.

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Franciscan 0, #8 Carnegie Mellon 3

How It Happened 
The final match of the weekend was the toughest for the Barons, as the squad went on to face #8 nationally ranked Carnegie Mellon. Despite strong effort through the match, the Terriers won the match in a three-set sweep.

A 5-2 Baron deficit quickly flipped to a 7-5 lead, thanks to multiple service aces by Kaitlan Hickey. Franciscan built its lead up to three before the Pittsburgh squad scored four straight to lead 12-11. Franciscan would lead twice more, including a slim 19-18 advantage, but the Terriers scored seven of the final 10 points to win the opening set.

For set two, Carnegie Mellon jumped out to an early 8-3 lead. The Barons got the deficit to within three, but the opposition scored 11 of the next 15 points to go up double digits. Logan Hickey, Guard, and Linklater each recorded some kills in the set, which ended up as a 25-13 decision. In set three, a 3-1 Baron lead flipped to a 13-6 Terrier advantage, and its lead was never extinguished. Franciscan got it to within five at 15-10, before CMU scored nine of the next 12. Clyde and Heisler each got a kill for their team before Carnegie Mellon scored the final point. 
 
Inside the Numbers 
- Kaitlan Hickey and Guard were top two for the team in digs, each getting at least 14.
- Clyde has the best attack percentage on the team (.364).
- There were five total blocks, with the Barons obtaining two of them

Up Next
Franciscan women's volleyball opens up conference play Wednesday with a match against W&J at 6 PM.

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