Lady Barons Place 4th in the AMCC

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Lady Baron Volleyball team of Franciscan University wrapped up its season with a 3-0 sweep over the D'Youville College Spartans Saturday afternoon. The win locked the Lady Barons into fourth place in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, finishing the season 6-3 and trumping the preseason poll that predicted a sixth place conference finish.

"We played consistently," noted head coach Kelly Herrmann. "I was a little nervous, because when you see that a team [D'Youville] hasn't won any conference matches you can lose focus, but our team played well."

Meg Kay and Anna Cain led the offense on the night with Kay tallying 13 kills and two aces and Cain adding 10 kills and four aces. The reliable sisters Grace and Mary Burnham contributed a solid performance, giving 12 and 15 assists, respectively. Nicole Henson added 19 digs, and the Lady Barons scored a three-game win of 26-24, 25-11, 25-22.

"Meg and Anna hit very well, we played good defense, and kept D'Youville off balance with our hitting and tips," said Herrmann. "Everyone played in the match and it was a team effort."

The Lady Barons overcame difficulty this season, placing higher in the AMCC than predicted despite losing key players Sydney Disselkamp and Grace Burnham for parts of the season due to injuries.

With a winning conference season and an impressive 14-15 overall finish, the Lady Barons would have been able to continue into postseason play. But Franciscan University is currently in its fourth year as a NCAA provisional school, and the Lady Barons will have to wait another year for the opportunity.

Coach Herrmann expressed how proud she was of the team and its successful season, and noted the leadership of the captains to get there. "I can't say enough about the leadership of our captains, Julie Matanzo and Meg Kay," said Herrmann. "They are faithful women who lead by their example in everything that they do."