Box Score LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall held Scranton to a hitting percentage of -.029 and cruised to a 3-0 victory on Wednesday night in nonconference volleyball action. The win marked head coach Mary Kate Boland's 252nd career victory, moving her past Steve Coulson's mark of 251 and making her the winningest coach in F&M program history. The Diplomats moved to 4-0 with the shutout while the Royals fell to 4-2.
Tied at 8-8 in the first, F&M got three kills from Sarah Landry to fuel a 9-1 run and open a 17-9 deficit. Scranton never got closer than seven and the Diplomats led by as much as 11 en route to a 25-17 win in the set. Landry finished the frame with five kills and, F&M held the Royals to a .000 hitting average.
In the second, it was a 6-0 run on the serve of Grace Polisano that gave F&M a 12-4 advantage. Scranton did not allow the deficit to grow, but never closed the gap as two kills from Ellie Ezekiel shut the door on a 25-14 win for the Diplomats. Ezekiel finished the frame with six kills as F&M again held the Royals to a .000 hitting average.
The third set was the closest of the match for the majority of its duration. However, seven straight points from the serve of Allison Edelstein finished off the set at 25-15. The defense continued to stifle Scranton, forcing a -.111 hitting average, while Landry and Ezekiel both contributed four kills in the clinching frame.
Ezekiel paced the offense with 13 kills on the night, while Landry finished with nine. Edelstein dished out 33 assists as the Diplomats recorded 41 kills to Scranton's 19.
Polisano and Christine Yoo both recorded a solo block for the dominant F&M defense. Yoo and Edelstein notched three block assists, while Cassie Garison and Landry both pitched in on two blocks.
Mary Leneweaver backed up the net play with 19 digs, while Edelstein (11) and Ezekiel (10) both reached double digits.
Boland's milestone comes as she begins her 14th year at the helm for F&M. During her tenure, she has won two Centennial Conference Championships, reached the NCAA Tournament on two occasions, and compiled a career winning percentage of .639.
F&M returns to the court on Friday, taking on Lebanon Valley at 7:00 in Annville, Pa. for the first match of the Dutchmen Quad.
