BY ERIN MADDEN
Lady Barons Volleyball won their home opener 25-10 in straight sets against Waynesburg Wednesday night.
Playing their second match against each other in five days, Franciscan continued to have the upper hand with consistent serving, a balanced attacking game, and few errors.
The team was 3-1 coming into the night, having defeated Waynesburg in their previous match, also in straight sets.
The Lady Barons won the first set 25-16 thanks to the consistent serving of senior setter Amy O’Keefe and sophomore setter Rachel Potopa. The Lady Barons jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the beginning and never relinquished it.
Waynesburg, on the other hand, could not string together more than a few points. Sophomore middle hitter Ana Tolkach led the way with four kills in the set.
The second set provided the suspense and drama, with the Lady Barons winning it late 25-19. The two teams traded points late in the set with the Barons winning the last six points to take the set. Junior outside hitter/defensive specialist Christina Lawrence came up big in this set with some key serves and digs late.
In the third set, the Lady Barons were dominant, winning 25-10, where Waynesburg continued to pile up the errors. Freshman outside hitter Ave Palguta stood out with four kills late in the set.
“We have lots of things to work on. We haven’t covered everything yet at this point in our season, but I’m really pleased with how the girls compete, how they support each other,” said Head Coach Kelly Hermann, after the win.
The Lady Barons play two more games on the road before returning home on September 10th against Baldwin Wallace.