RAMS POWER PAST WILLIAM & MARY BEHIND DE BORJA, FRANCESCATTO
9-27-06
Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. – Senior Ludmila Francescatto (Fraiburga, Brazil/Arizona Western College) and sophomore Ana Luiza Bernardes de Borja (Florianopolis, Brazil/Colegio Geracao) (pictured) combined for 40 kills, 39 digs and 10 blocks to propel Virginia Commonwealth University past William & Mary, 3-1 (25-30, 30-21, 30-27, 30-26) Wednesday at the Alltel Pavilion.

VCU improves to 7-7 overall and 3-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The win also snaps a four-match losing streak to the Tribe that dated back to 2003. William & Mary is 5-9 on the year, 2-5 in league play.

Francescatto, second in the CAA in kills per game, launched 18 Wednesday and hit .204 with a career-high 23 digs. Additionally, she fired three aces and had three blocks. De Borja spiked 22 kills and hit .259. Her 16 digs established a new personal best. She also recorded eight total blocks. VCU out blocked William & Mary, 18.5 to 11.5.

Sophomore setter Cat Juson (Long Beach, Calif./Bush) provided 51 digs and 13 digs for the Black and Gold, which hit .203 for the match, compared to the Tribe’s .132.

William & Mary’s Lindsey Pflugner led all players with 23 kills, hitting .276, and registered 21 digs.

After dropping the first game, 30-25 and allowing the Green and Gold to hit .371, VCU buckled down on defense. The Rams limited the Tribe to hitting percentages of .077, .096 and .054 in the second, third and fourth games, respectively.

The Rams head to Brooklyn, N.Y. for the Long Island University Blackbird Invitational Friday and Saturday. VCU opens the tournament Friday, against host Long Island, which reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2005. Match time is at 3 p.m.