Jessica Haller, Lauren Raswyck key upstart Greyhounds past Franklin Pierce in NE-10 volleyball, 3-1

September 25, 2007

WORCESTER, Mass. --- Sophomore outside hitter JESSICA HALLER (Meriden, CT/Maloney) was a force on offense and senior/captain libero LAUREN RASWYCK (Litchfield, NH/Campbell) was a force on defense as Assumption College defeated powerhouse Franklin Pierce University, 3-1, in a Northeast-10 Conference women's volleyball match TUESDAY night in the Laska Gym.

The win is the third straight, and fourth in the last five matches, for the upstart Greyhounds who have now earned notice with a 10-3 overall record and 3-2 conference mark under first-year Coach GARY PATCH. The win was the first over the Ravens since 2001 and the first time since that match that the Greyhounds had even won a single game. The Ravens, picked fourth in the preseason Northeast-10 Conference poll, are now 9-10 overall and 3-2 in the conference.

Haller was spectacular with a career high 17 kills, 15 digs, five service aces. The Greyhounds won 32-30, 30-25, 29-31 and 30-24 in a grueling two-hour match. She had six kills in the third set alone in a superb individual effort to make it a sweep for the Greyhounds and added six digs in the second set.

Franklin Pierce trailed 29-27 late in the third set and rallied to stay alive. The Greyhounds however stormed to an 8-1 advantage to start the fourth set en route to a 30-24 match-clinching win.

Raswyck, the conference pacesetter in digs at 6.74 per game, continued her torrid pace toward the Greyhounds' career mark with a 2-4-7-5--18 performance. She now has exactly 1,700 career digs needing 121 to surpass leader Annie LeClerc '02 (1,820).

Junior outside hitter JENNA COSTIN (Lynnfield, MA/Lynnfield) added a career-best 16 kills including six in the first game win, while freshman setter MARILISA STRAND (Sarasota, FL/Cardinal Mooney) added 46 set assists, 11 dogs and five service aces in support roles for the Greyhounds.

For Franklin Pierce, junior captains middle hitter NICOLE BUCHHOLZ (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge) (13 kills, 5 blocks) and setter KARISSA HOOKSTADT (Camarillo, CA/Camarillo) (40 assists, 6 kills,, 6 digs) were superb. Freshman libero CHELSIE KOHOUT (Harrison Township, MI/L'Anse Creuse) added 25 digs to add to her team-leading total.

Best starts in Greyhound volleyball history: 1978, 12-2; 1987, 8-4; 1988, 12-6; 1999, 7-4; 2000, 10-5; 2001, 11-6 and 2006, 9-2.

The Greyhounds are at Le Moyne College in another Northeast-10 Conference matchup SATURDAY at 12 noon, while Franklin Pierce hosts conference rival Pace University FRIDAY at 7 p.m.

CLICK HERE for complete Assumption-Franklin Pierce scoring summary