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Ravens volleyball flies past Bridgeport 3-1

by Tony Catinella
Exchange Staff

     The University of Bridgeport Volleyball team left Southwest Connecticut Friday afternoon.  They left their urban city and entered the woods of Franklin Pierce University on a dark rainy evening.  As they entered Rindge, NH they were caught off-guard. They lost their cell phone service, and lost their game plan as they got locked into "The Cage" of the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse.

     The Ravens defeated the Bridgeport Purple Knights 3-1 last Friday night.

     The Bridgeport Purple Knights entered the match with a 9-6 record, and looked like they were going to roll all over the Ravens in the first match of a best of five game series. In the first game they defeated Franklin Pierce, 25-20.  The Ravens could not stop Bridgeport's 5'-9" Russian superstar Olga Sidorova. She had a lethal spike, as she tallied four kills with her powerful palms in the first match alone.

     "It was really hard because their center was really good," said sophomore Chelsie Kohout. "It was really hard to play defense against this team."

     The Ravens were also caught off-guard by the 5'-11" Brazilian junior Juliana Moraes who had a match best 13 kills, and Ugandan senior Emma Ariyo, who had a serve that traveled as straight and quick as a flying missile. 

     "The first game we never should have loss," said Franklin Pierce head coach Sharon Bonaventure. "We struggled with our serves. Even though we lost the first match we were in control."

     After the first game loss senior captain Karissa Hookstadt explained that they became focused and made changes.

     Although the Ravens lost the first game, they quickly rebounded. Franklin Pierce scored six straight points on six straight serves from Hookstadt, who was last week's Northeast-10 Conference Setter of the Week. With the help of Hookstadt, the Ravens dominated game two, 25-15. "We played well as a team working together," said Hookstadt. "It was an all team effort."

     In game three, Ravens senior Nicole Buchholz, who finished the match with a team best 11 kills, also rallied her team by scoring on eight straight serves. Senior Emily Schultz and junior Caitlyn Parnell had three serves in game three and the Ravens edged past Bridgeport, 25-23.

     In game four Hookstadt set junior Megan Feldmeth and Schultz up for two late kills and the Ravens finished off Bridgeport, 25-23.

     Schultz, Parnell, and Feldmeth each had 9 kills in the win. Kohout was the best defensive player for the Ravens in the four games, as she dove all over the hard Fieldhouse wood floor and led the Ravens with 23 digs.