BEREA, Ky. – The Franklin volleyball team hit the road on Wednesday (Oct. 23) for the first of two away from home, taking on the Berea Mountaineers in the first ever league meeting between the two sides.
 
In an evenly-matched contest, the Grizzlies (9-15, 0-4 HCAC) would come up on the short end of a four-set match, with Berea (5-16, 1-3 HCAC) winning 17-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19.
 
During the match, sophomore setter Brionna Linkel hit a personal milestone, eclipsing the 1,000 career assist mark.
 
Set One: Franklin 25 – Berea 17
A huge 12-3 Franklin run early in the set blew the opening game wide open, and the Grizzlies would coast to victory. The Grizzlies hit a game-best .220 in the opening frame and kept Berea to .064 hitting in the frame.
 
Set Two: Berea 25 – Franklin 23
A tight set two came down to the very end. But following a block from Trinity Schroeder and a kill from sister McKenzie Schroeder that tied things at 23-23, the Mountaineers would claim the final two points and turn the match on its head.
 
Set Three: Berea 25 – Franklin 20
Game three saw Berea put down 19 kills and hit .311, eclipsing the .194 hitting percentage from the Grizzlies. The set's deciding run came when Berea flipped a 16-16 game with a 7-1 run that was too big of a hole to overcome.
 
Set Four: Berea 25 – Franklin 19
Both offenses hit above .200 in the final set, but the Mountaineers finished with one attacking error in the set to five for the Grizzlies. Another late run propelled the hosts to victory, with Berea closing things out on a 5-1 run.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin hit .163 on the night, with Kaitlyn Lavy's 15 kills leading Franklin's attack.
-McKenzie Schroeder finished with 14 kills and a .278 attacking percentage and Hope Moring added 10 kills.
-Linkel handed out 40 assists to surpass the 1,000 helper milestone and she added 18 digs.
-Campbell Clark led the back line with a season-high 20 digs.
-Moring picked up 10 digs for a double-double of her own.
-Hannah Phegley had 11 digs and a team-high four aces.
-Trinity Schroeder led the Grizzlies with five blocks, rejecting two shots solo.
 
Up Next
Franklin wraps up their road trip on Saturday (Oct. 26) afternoon, with a trip to Hanover on deck. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m.