WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College volleyball team split a home tri-match Saturday afternoon at Salvitti Family Gymnasium. 
 
Franciscan 3, W&J 2 (25-23, 23-25, 25-12, 23-25, 13-15)
 
W&J opened the match with a late rally to capture the opening set by a 25-23 margin. The Presidents trailed by as many as seven points during the first set. However, W&J fought back from the 13-6 hole. The Presidents used a 9-2 run to tie the score at 15-15. A service ace by Piper McFarland (West Mifflin, Pa./Cornerstone Preparatory Academy) evened the score. Later in the set, W&J trailed by a 22-20 margin. The Presidents pulled through with five of the final six points of the set. A pair of consecutive kills by Faith Fetsko (South Park, Pa./South Park) finished off the set win. 
 
Franciscan used an extended 15-5 run to take a stranglehold on the second set. Later in the set, W&J recorded six-straight points to close the deficit to 22-17. Fetsko recorded three kills during the run. The Presidents eventually climbed to within one when five-consecutive points made it 24-23. A block by Sophie Little (Marysville, Ohio/Fairbanks) and Beyonce Pierce (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg) trimmed the deficit. Franciscan responded with the final point to earn the set victory. 
 
W&J dominated the third set en route to a 25-12 victory. The Presidents raced out to an 11-3 lead and never looked back as they posted a .400 hitting percentage during the set. The lead swelled to 12 points when Bella Anzevino (Brunswick, Ohio/Buckeye) tallied a service ace to make the score 17-5. The Presidents led by double digits for the remainder of the set. 
 
Franciscan squashed any momentum for W&J early in the fourth set. The Barons rolled out to a 12-2 lead over the Presidents. The Presidents battled to within four points with a sizable run later in the set. A block by Little and Kamryn Conners (St. Clairsville, Ohio/Wheeling Central Catholic) trimmed the gap to 21-17. The Barons extended the advantage to 24-18 to force set point. W&J rattled off five-straight points to trim the gap to 24-23. An attack error by W&J gave Franciscan the fourth to force a decisive fifth set. 
 
The Red and Black led 12-8 in the fifth set but couldn't make that lead hold up. Franciscan recorded seven of the final eight points to walk away with the win. 
 
Four Presidents finished with double-digit kills. Fetsko posted a team-best 17 kills. Lizzie Carmichael (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) tallied 11 kills. Rian Benz (Strongsville, Ohio/Holy Name) finished with 10 kills and 22 digs. Jaden Blough (Meyersdale, Pa./Meyersdale) posted 10 kills. 
 
Adrianna Sacramento (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) had 28 assists while Brielle Moorhouse (East Liberty, Ohio/Benjamin Logan) tallied 19 assists. McFarland had the match high with 34 digs. Little finished with a season-high nine total blocks. 

W&J 3, La Roche 0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-19)
 
The Presidents used an 8-1 spurt in the opening set to break free from what was a back and forth set initially. A pair of service aces by Benz boosted the Presidents to an 18-10 advantage. La Roche eventually trimmed its deficit to four points, but W&J put the set away with three-straight points to cap the set one victory. A service ace by Little and a kill by Carmichael made the final score at 25-18. 
 
W&J methodically built its lead throughout the second set. A pair of kills by Benz helped W&J push in front by a 12-8 score. A service ace by Sacramento pushed the lead to five at 23-18. Carmichael eventually closed the set with a kill to put the final margin at 25-21. 
 
The Red and Black led for the entirety of the third set. Despite holding an early lead, W&J was challenged by La Roche, as the Presidents held just a one-point advantage at 17-16. Four-straight points gave W&J some pad to its lead. W&J finished strong for the sweep, as Blough tallied the final point of the match. 
 
Festko and Benz both reached double figures in kills. Fetsko had 11 while Benz finished with 10. 
 
Sacramento had 20 assists while Moorhouse tallied 19 assists in the win. McFarland collected a match-best 26 digs. Little added four more total blocks to pace all participants in the match. 
 
Up Next: W&J (7-8 overall) travels to Hiram College for a non-conference match on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Start time is scheduled for 6 p.m.