Oct. 19, 2006 - A release written by Elizabeth Webber -

Outside hitter Margot Phelan recorded 17 kills, 12 digs, four assists, and one service ace, as the Franklin & Marshall women's volleyball team swept Swarthmore College 3-0 (30-28, 30-22, 30-24) and clinched first place in the Centennial Conference (CC) Thursday October 19, 2006,

With an undefeated CC record of 8-0, the Diplomats will host the 2006 CC Championship Tournament on November 3-4. The fourth and fifth seeds will face-off on Wednesday, November 1, and the winner of that game will face F&M in the semi-finals on Saturday, November 3. The second and third seed will play on the other side of the bracket, and the Championship and Consolation matches will be held on Sunday, November 4.

Versus the Garnet, the Diplomats' dominated on the offensive end, as they recorded a combined 57 kills and 55 assists in three games.

In the first game, F&M trailed most of the way, but Phelan and outside hitter Maritza Fair recorded a combined 12 kills to keep the Diplomats in the match. A 4-0 service run by Fair put F&M in striking distance, and back-to-back service aces by setter Holly Cordisco pushed F&M passed the home team to finish ahead 30-28 and go up 1-0 in the match.

F&M fell behind in the second game, but blocking by middle hitter Alexis Dansky and serving by libero Nicole Kushman got the score close. As Swarthmore tied the game at 11-11 off a kill by Phelan, the score knotted at three more times before Kushman pushed her team ahead 25-20 on a 5-0 service run. Unable to dig up kills by middle hitter Susan Taylor and right side hitter Erica Spangler, the Garnet fell 30-22 to fall behind 0-2 in the match.

In the final game of the night, F&M's defense clamped down, forcing the Swarthmore offense out of its comfort zone. Solid passing by defensive specialist Jenna Walck spurred the F&M offense, as Kushman and Fair's effort from the service line added to the win. Finishing ahead 30-24, the Diplomats won the third game and their 15th consecutive win over Swarthmore since 1994.

Cordisco recorded 28 assists, two service aces, and one kill in the match, while setter Valerie Pusateri totaled 13 sets and two service aces versus the Garnet. Additionally, Kushman recorded a team high 16 digs on defense, while Dansky record a game high six blocks (3 solo, 3 assisted).

F&M will travel to Huntington, PA October 20-21 to play #1 Juniata College, Carnegie Mellon, and Rutgers-Newark in the Juniata Invitational.

Currently ranked 4th in the Mid-Atlantic Region, F&M will finish out CC play and celebrate Senior Night on Thursday, October 26 versus Muhlenberg College at the Mayser Center. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.