NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. - The Franklin & Marshall Volleyball team battled No. 11 NYU in a tightly contested match on Friday evening. Tied 1-1, the Violets claimed the final two sets to win 3-1.

Much like the rest of the night, the two teams went back-and-forth in the first set, tied 9-9 early on. After NYU took a brief lead, the Diplomats evened the set up once again at 15-15. The Violets would go on to win five of the final seven points to take a 1-0 advantage. 

F&M dominated the beginning of the second set, opening up the stanza with an 13-7 edge. However, the Violets stormed back with seven unanswered points to jump ahead 14-13. Neither team led by more than three for the rest of the set, and would eventually be knotted up 24-24 after NYU saved two set points. The Diplomats ended the frame by winning the final three points to take the second set. 

The two teams stayed within three points of each other for the entirety of the third stanza with the Violets leading for a majority of the set. Tied 13-13, NYU took a brief 16-14 lead. F&M got back to within one, trailing 16-17, before the Violets won three straight points for a 20-17 edge. The Diplomats would come right back with four straight points to take their first lead of the frame since they led 10-9. A final 5-2 run for the Violets gave them the third set. 

After the Diplomats got out to a 10-6 lead in the fourth set, NYU rallied to tie the frame at 10-10. F&M jumped back ahead, 15-12, but another flurry of Violet points allowed NYU to take a 16-15 edge. NYU would not trail for the rest of the stanza, as it clinched the match by winning the final three points. 

Grace Nelson registered a game-high 19 kills, while Bella Ganfield posted a career-high 17 digs. The Violets out-hit F&M .250 to .196 on the night. 

F&M will continue its 2023 campaign on the road as it heads to Montclair, N.J. to face Springfield and Montclair State in a double-header tomorrow at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.