Madeline Dorobiala 
Staff Writer

The Franciscan University women’s volleyball team fell 3-2 against Chatham Cougars Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. 

The Barons were finally back home after a series of losses at away games. Franciscan has faced the Cougars once this season and won, so they were optimistic about playing them again.  

The Barons started on defense at the beginning of the first set. The Cougars had a couple attack errors which led to the Barons taking an offensive lead.  

Freshman defensive specialist Kaitlin Hickey made a series of serves and kills which landed the Barons with a 3-2 lead in the first set.  

 The Barons maintained a tight defense which matched the Cougars offensive attack. There were a few calls in the middle of the set that caused the Barons to falter, but they persevered.  

The Barons regrouped and lead with offensive possession after a series of tough calls against the Cougars. Graduate student setter Grace Wallace made a series of serves that sparked a 12-12 tie with the Cougars in the middle of the first set.  

The Barons were quick to take defense until sophomore middle hitter Tessa Miller made a kill. The Barons would catch up to the Cougars 13-17.  

Senior right-side Elizabeth Luebbers made a kill at the end of the first set. After trailing for almost the entire set, the Barons pulled through at the end winning 25-24. 

The Barons started the second set on offense with Wallace serving and helping the Barons take the lead 1-0.  

Shortly after, the Barons were forced to play defense as the Cougars showed their offensive power. The Barons trailed behind 3-8.  

The Barons had an offensive advantage when Miller made a kill that put the Barons back on the board 8-12. 

Sophomore middle hitter Angela Sweeney continued the Barons offensive attack. The Barons began to creep up on the Cougars 9-12 toward the end of the second set.  

The Barons were quickly challenged by the Cougars and were behind by a single point at the end of the second set. The Barons committed another attack error, and the Cougars won the set 25-22.  

Junior outside hitter Gabrielle Disselkamp killed and the Barons took the lead 8-6 at the start of the third set.  
 
The Barons were forced to take a defensive approach in the middle of the third set as the Cougars took a 19-17 lead.  

Sweeney made a kill at the end of the third set and the Barons tied with the Cougars 21-21. The Cougars turned the game around, attacking the Barons defense and won the third set 25-22.  

The Barons started the fourth set with loose defense but didn’t run out of steam entirely. After a series of spikes and kills contributed by the team, the Barons continued into the middle of the fourth set with a 9-7 lead.  

The Barons were focused and took an offensive lead against the Cougars defense. They continued the offensive strength at the end of the fourth set and won that set 25-21. 

The Barons started the fifth set with a lead because of attack errors on the Cougars. The Barons led 2-0, but the Cougars quickly regained the lead 4-3. 

The Barons recovered in the middle of the fifth set, tying the game 4-4 until the Cougars would test their defense.  

The Barons fell behind by a couple points at the end of the fifth set and the Cougars won that set 15-13.  

“There is an advantage knowing their tendencies, and we have practiced making sure to correct and adjust accordingly,” head coach Jennifer Hickey said prior to the game.  

The Barons’ next home game is Saturday Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. where they will be honoring their seniors.