JEN HANTZ
STAFF WRITER
The Lady Barons volleyball team won their match 3-2 against returning alumni for their annual alumni game on Saturday, Oct. 6 during homecoming weekend.
The alumni started the set off strong by scoring the first point, determined to break their decade-long losing streak. The Lady Barons came back quickly by scoring a point for themselves, and soon enough it became a close set. Fighting hard and with high energy, the Lady Barons won the first set 15-11.
The two teams wrestled for a lead in close sets, and they ended up tying by the end of the fourth set. The Lady Barons won the first and second sets, 15-11 and 18-16, and the alumni won the third and fourth sets, 16-18, and 15-11.
To break the tie, the teams began their intense fifth set. The current and former Lady Barons both fought hard to gain a lead but remained evenly matched, reaching a score of 7-7. Soon the current Lady Barons gained a slim lead, winning the set by two points, 18-16.
The alumni game has been a part of Franciscan volleyball for at least a decade. Head Coach Kelly Herrmann sets the date for the match a year in advance to give alumni enough notice to schedule it into their busy lives. The alumni team ranged from 2018 graduates to graduates who already had young families.
“Alumni match is so much fun,” said Herrmann. “Having them back and to get to know them (is a) blessing for the team.”
Impressed with how well the alumni played, senior outside hitter Maria Ciola said, “They always come out strong … (It was) a really fun game.”
This was the third year for Amy O’Keefe, class of 2015, to play in the alumni game. “It’s a lot of fun,” O’Keefe said. “(It’s a) good feeling (to be) back in the environment. We don’t get to play competitively (anymore).”
The Lady Barons’ next game will be at home at 7 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 10 against conference opponent Mount Aloysius College.