LANCASTER, Pa. - Franklin & Marshall continued its hot start to the 2015 season Friday night with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-22) victory over Penn St.-Berks at the Mayser Center. The win takes the Diplomats to 2-0 on the year and drops the Nittany Lions to 1-1.

Penn St.-Berks began with intensity, taking an 8-6 lead in the early going of the first set. The Diplomats began to turn the tide soon thereafter, with the help of three aces from Parys Zambas giving the Diplomats an 11-8 lead. Play remained even until a 6-0 run created a 19-12 lead for F&M.  That separation proved plenty for the Diplomats as F&M cruised to a 25-17 victory in the first set.

The Diplomats took control in the second with an early 8-1 run to open a 10-3 lead. F&M carried the momentum throughout, winning the set 25-12 and posting a scorching .562 hitting percentage with zero errors.

The third set proved to be the most competitive, featuring several long rallies and a close score throughout. Ultimately it was freshman Barbara Kapustin that finished off the match with her sixth kill off of a feed from Allison Edelstein, one of her 22 assists on the evening.

The Diplomats featured a balanced attack in the victory, getting nine kills from Ellie Ezekiel and six from Cassie Garison to accompany Kapustin's six. A pair of Diplomats reached double-digits in assists with Ezekiel and Alyssa Sanchez each earning 10 to go along with Edelstein's nine and eight from Zambas.

The Diplomats return to action tomorrow when F&M continues the Crosstown Crossover by travelling to Penn St.-Berks for matches with Elizabethtown at noon and Lancaster Bible at 2:00 p.m.