LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall's women's tennis team continued its torrid start to Centennial Conference (CC) play, narrowly defeating Swarthmore by a 5-4 score on Saturday afternoon in Lancaster. The win propelled the Diplomats to 10-4, 5-1 CC on the year, while the Garnet fell to 5-7, 4-1 CC. 

In a battle of two regionally-ranked teams, with F&M holding an eighth-place ranking in the Atlantic South Region and Swarthmore sitting at No. 9, the Diplomats held a slight 2-1 lead after doubles competition. A team of Megan FitzMaurice and Dana Sleeper paired at No. 2 for the 8-6 victory, while Nicole Russo and Emily Gruenberg captured an 8-4 win from the No. 3 spot.

Singles action resulted in a 3-3 tie, with the Diplomats receiving victories from Russo at No. 3 (6-4, 6-4), FitzMaurice at No. 4 (6-7, (8-10), 6-2, 6-3) and Allysan Breece from the No. 6 spot (6-2, 6-3).

F&M returns to the court on Wednesday when the Diplomats host Gettysburg at 4:00 p.m.