GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team hit .318 to sweep Gettysburg in a critical Centennial Conference road matchup on Wednesday night. The Diplomats (16-3, 5-0 CC) and Bullets (16-3, 2-2 CC) both entered the night receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national polls.

Gianna Mangiamele led that offensive explosion with 13 kills as she hit .348 during the match. Reigning Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week Coco Shultz matched her teammate with 13 more kills to tie for the team lead. Liah Perez set up the attack for success with 27 kills, while Carly Campbell added 11 more helpers. F&M's defense saw eight players finish with multiple digs as it limited the Bullets to a .153 hitting percentage.

Franklin & Marshall never trailed during the opening set as it raced out to a 9-1 lead behind the service of Avery Grantham. Grantham had two service aces during that early run and finished with three total throughout the win. The Diplomats lead reached as many as 12 points on four different occasions, including when Mikayla Smith served the winning point to close the first set at 25-13.

The next two games were much tighter final scores, but F&M trailed just once in the second before a battle to close out the sweep. F&M fell behind only 1-0 in the second and took the lead at 2-1. Despite the Diplomats never trailing again during that set, the visitors were up by only a single point at 22-21 before back-to-back kills from Mangiamele and Perez. Gettysburg fought off one match point before another kill from Shultz put F&M on the brink of a sweep. Even with the final set featuring six ties, the Diplomats took the lead at 8-7 and never trailed again. Fittingly enough, it was Mangiamele's 13th kill that proved unlucky for the Bullets in F&M's 25-21 victory.

As a team, F&M registered eight blocks, with three from Campbell leading the way in addition to her assists. Mya Anderson and Ceci Connolly both added five kills to the team's totals as F&M recorded 46 kills against just 11 errors. Melissa Benkowitz was also strong at the service line as she matched the team high with three aces of her own.

Volleyball returns home to the Mayser Center this Saturday for a 1 p.m. non-conference match against DeSales. That match will also be Senior Day for the five members of the Diplomats' Class of 2025: Justine Amory, Rei Baker, Bella Ganfield, Gianna Mangiamele, and Mikayla Smith.