LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall volleyball defeated Swarthmore in Centennial Conference (CC) action, 3-1, Wednesday evening at the Mayser Center.  The Diplomats improve to 8-10, 2-0 CC on the season, while the Garnet drop to 10-2, 2-1 CC.

Entering the contest, Swarthmore had won nine matches in a row, including a streak of 27 straight sets.  The Garnet improved that streak to 28 straight sets with a 26-24 victory in the first.  In the second, F&M fell behind early to Swarthmore.  With the score 4-1 in favor of the Garnet, the Diplomats went on a 5-1 run to take the 6-5 lead.  Both squads exchanged points until a Caroline Hubbard ace put F&M up 13-10.  The Diplomats kept the lead through the final half of the set, winning 25-23 and evening the match 1-1.

F&M dominated the third set with a 25-15 win.  The Garnet started out strong, winning seven of the first eight points before a 6-1 run by the Diplomats tied the set 8-8.  A block by Julie Harvey eventually gave F&M the 10-9 lead.  With the score 11-10, the Diplomats hit their stride, going on a 14-5 run to close out the third.

Heading into the fourth set with a 2-1 advantage, F&M battled Swarthmore to a 4-4 tie early in the frame.  A 6-0 run by the Diplomats gave them the 10-4 lead.  During the run  Caitlin Krutsick was sharp from behind the line, landing back-to-back aces.  F&M brought Swarthmore to the brink of its first loss in nine matches with a 24-16 score.  On match point for the Diplomats an errant Garnet serve sailed wide out of bounds to seal the 3-1 F&M victory.

Candice Tussing led the offense with 12 digs.  Harvey added 11 and finished the match with a .688 kill percentage.  Hubbard tallied a season-high 41 assists.  Alyssa Sanchez paced the defense with 14 digs, while Kerry Rom added 11.

The Diplomats return to the court this Saturday for a CC matchup at Bryn Mawr.  The contest is set to begin at 1:00 p.m.

F&M def. Swarthmore 24-26,25-23,25-15,25-16

Swarthmore (10-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Kathryn Montemurro 12-2-0; Zahra Ahmed 6-0-1; Danielle Sullivan 5-0-1; Brone Lobichusky 4-0-1; Allison Coleman 4-2-1; Chastity Hopkins 3-0-3; Maggie Duszyk 2-0-0; Samantha Dubois 0-1-0; Kate Amodei 0-1-0; Madison Heppe 0-1-0; Totals 36-7-4.0. (Assists) - Allison Coleman 30. (Dig leaders) – Kathryn Montemurro 20; Kate Amodei 12; Samantha Dubois 10; Danielle Sullivan 9

F&M (8-10) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Candice Tussing 12-2-1; Julie Harvey 11-0-4; Sydney Seydel 8-0-4; Kerry Rom 6-0-0; Rosalie Frank 6-0-2; Caroline Hubbard 2-3-5; Caitlin Krutsick 1-2-0; Alyssa Sanchez 0-3-0; Totals 46-10-10.0. (Assists) - Caroline Hubbard 41. (Dig leaders) - Alyssa Sanchez 14; Candice Tussing 13; Kerry Rom 11; Caroline Hubbard 9