CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Franklin men's volleyball team returned to action after a long layoff on Wednesday (Feb. 26) night, taking on the Mount St. Joseph Lions in the opening of a home-and-home between the two teams.
 
Franklin (1-3) got a team-high 12 kills from Jonathan McCoy, but they would fall in straight sets to the Lions (5-9) 25-16, 25-17, 25-23.
 
The opening game saw The Mount race out to a 10-3 lead and keep the Grizzlies out of striking distance the rest of the set. Set two was decided by a 12-2 Lions run that turned a 6-6 tie into a double-digit lead for the home side, Franklin would get the Lions' lead down to six at 22-16 late in the set, but their comeback bid was halted shortly after.
 
Game three saw the Grizzlies turn in their best attacking set of the night, with the team hitting .270 n the final frame with 14 total kills. Neither team led by more than three in the third game, but the Lions were able to sneak away with a minimal two-point win and end the contest.
 
Inside the Box Score
-McCoy hit .207 on the night, tops among all Franklin hitters.
-Tiki Johnson led the Grizzlies with 16 assists, nine digs and a pair of solo rejections.
-Franklin hit .094 as a team to .278 for the Lions.
-Avery Sylvester finished with six digs while Johnson added five.
 
Up Next
Franklin will host the return matchup between the two teams next Wednesday (Mar. 5) night in the Spurlock Center in the team's inaugural home match. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.