SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team nearly took the first set and did take the third set against No. 19 Susquehanna on Wednesday night in non-conference action on the road. In the end though, it was the River Hawks (4-0) who came away with a four-set victory over the Diplomats (27-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-16).

Sydney Levins and Gianna Mangiamele led the attack with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Liah Perez (21 assists) and Hannah McCarthy (18 assists) handled the setting duties, with Perez adding 15 more digs to her night. Meredith Mangum led the defensive efforts with 21 digs. The Diplomats also racked up 10 blocks at the net with one solo block and five assisted efforts from Jada West headlining those efforts.

Susquehanna raced out to a 5-0 early in the first set on its home court and was still leading 10-5 before F&M ripped off four straight points from the service of Perez. The Diplomats tied the set at 17-all on an ace from Coco Shultz and held a two-point lead before the River Hawks earned a side-out. The hard-fought set would be tied at 22, 23, 24, and 25-all before Susquehanna claimed the set with back-to-back points. The second set saw F&M jump out to the early lead before the River Hawks ran off four straight points and sustained that slight edge for the remainder of the game.

During its winning set, Franklin & Marshall never trailed as the Diplomats were doubling up the hosts by 6-3 and 10-5 scores before eventually taking a 14-8 advantage for their largest lead of the night. The visitors matched that lead at 18-12, but Susquehanna did not go quietly as it tied the third set at 23-all. Nevertheless, kills from Levins and Shultz restored order and forced a fourth set. In that final set, F&M rallied to tie the match at 13-all, but the River Hawks countered with four straight points of their to close the match on a 12-2 run to secure the victory.

Volleyball will be back on the road this coming weekend with a trip to the Asics Invitational at Juniata on Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10. In addition to the matchup with the No. 4 Eagles, the Diplomats will also take on Virginia Wesleyan and Ithaca. Live video and live stats will be available for every match of the tournament.