GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall's volleyball team defeated Gettysburg in a 3-2 thriller Wednesday night in Centennial Conference (CC) action.  The decision improves the Diplomats' record to 16-13, 8-1 CC, while the Bullets drop to 15-12, 6-3 CC.  F&M can clinch the top seed in the CC Tournament with a victory over Dickinson on Saturday.

Caitlin Krutsick came out firing for the Diplomats, registering four service aces in the first five points of the match to put F&M out in front 5-0.  Gettysburg came storming back to tie the frame 10-10.  A kill from Rosalie Frank put the Diplomats back in the lead at 11-10.  With the set tied 11-11, F&M went on an 8-2 run to go up 19-13.  An ace by Caroline Hubbard on set-point gave the Diplomats the 25-16 victory and the 1-0 lead in the match.

Gettysburg jumped out to an early 8-1 advantage in the second before F&M brought the match to within four at 12-8.  However, the Bullets answered with an 8-2 run to pull ahead 20-10.  The Diplomats countered with an 8-3 run of their own to pull within six at 23-18.  Gettysburg did not surrender the lead in the late stage of the frame, taking the 25-19 victory and evening the contest 1-1.

Six lead changes highlighted a competitive third set, with neither team wanting to fall into a 2-1 hole in the match.  With the score tied 12-12, an error by Gettysburg gave F&M the 13-12 lead.  Later in the set, an Alyssa Sanchez ace put the Diplomats up by their largest advantage in the frame, 15-12.  F&M held the lead until the Bullets came back to tie the frame 20-20.  Sydney Seydel stepped behind the line and fired an ace to give the Diplomats the 21-20 lead.  Back-to-back aces from Hubbard near the end of the set sealed the 25-21 victory to put F&M up 2-1 in the match.

The Bullets answered in the fourth by taking the 5-0 lead in the frame.  The Diplomats charged back, bringing the set to within three at 12-9 off of a Gettysburg service error.  The Bullets countered with an 8-1 run to pull ahead 20-10.  The deficit was too much for F&M to overcome as it dropped the fourth set 25-13.

In the deciding fifth frame, the Diplomats dominated from the start by pulling ahead 8-1.  The seven-point lead was more than enough for F&M as a Kerry Rom kill on match-point gave the Diplomats a 15-8 victory and the 3-2 win in the contest.

F&M racked up 16 service aces during the match, including six from Krutsick. 

Candice Tussing led the offense with 13 kills, while Frank tallied 10 of her own.  Tussing chipped in on defense as well, recording 16 digs.  Alyssa Sanchez registered 13 digs in the contest.

The Diplomats finish out their regular season this Saturday with a road match against CC opponent Dickinson.  The contest is set to begin at 1:00 p.m.

F&M def. Gettysburg 25-16,19-25,25-20,13-25,15-8

F&M (16-13, 8-1 CC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Candice Tussing 13-4-2; Rosalie Frank 10-0-0; Sydney Seydel 8-0-1; Kerry Rom 6-1-0; Caroline Hubbard 4-3-0; Heather Letzkus 2-0-1; Jian Lipowcan 1-0-0; Julie Harvey 1-1-0; Meghan Hubert 1-0-0; Alyssa Sanchez 0-1-0; Caitlin Krutsick 0-6-0; Totals 46-16-2.0. (Assists) - Caroline Hubbard 30. (Dig leaders) - Candice Tussing 16; Alyssa Sanchez 13

Gettysburg (15-12, 6-3 CC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Sarah Gorski 13-0-2; Cydney Bracken 9-2-0; Courtney Cyr 8-0-2; Courtney Morrow 7-1-1; Kelly Milione 4-1-2; Kate DeLess 1-0-1; Lizzy Kuhn 1-9-0; Hannah Bentz 0-1-0; Katie Wilson 0-3-0; Totals 43-17-6.0. (Assists) - Lizzy Kuhn 17; Kate DeLess 15. (Dig leaders) - Katie Wilson 18; Kelly Milione 13; Hannah Bentz 10