Lancaster, Pa.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall volleyball team's (19-4, 7-1) undefeated seven-match Centennial Conference run and overall seven-match win streak came to a close as Swarthmore beat the Diplomats in four sets (25-18, 18-25, 23-25, 18-25) on Wednesday night. 

Mikayla Smith had a career-high five aces, while Ceci Connolly led the attack with nine kills. Avery Grantham (5 block assists, 3 aces) and Carly Campbell (1 solo block, 4 block assists, 12 assists) each totaled five blocks. Liah Perez totaled 18 assists with a pair of aces. Bella Ganfield led the Diplomats with 14 digs.

Swarthmore used a five-point run in set one to claim an early 7-4 lead. F&M responded with a 5-0 run of their own to take a 9-7 lead. Swarthmore tied the set with two points followed by F&M taking five of the next six points. F&M soon broke away by seven points thanks to a five-point run for a 21-14 lead. The sides traded points to set point, with Smith ending set one on an ace.

The Garnet again found themselves leading in the early stages with a 8-3 lead to start. The Diplomats got within a point via a 5-1 run that featured a pair of Melissa Benkowitz kills to make it 9-8. The Garnet regained momentum and pushed out to a 20-13 lead in the middle stages. F&M found life with a 4-1 run to get back within four points, but the Garnet ended the set on a 4-1 run of their own.

After an early Garnet lead, Mya Anderson tied set three at 8-8 with a kill. A Swarthmore kill followed, then F&M claimed three points on a Smith ace and a pair of blocks including a solo Connolly block. Swarthmore halted momentum with a seven-point run including four kills to go ahead 16-11. The Diplomats rallied back following a service error, retaking the lead 17-16 on a 7-0 run with two Perez aces. They pushed to 19-17, but Swarthmore fought back with three kills and a block to retake the lead 21-19. F&M stayed within a point or two but could not retake the lead with a Garnet kill ending the set at 25-23.

The Diplomats used a 4-1 run early to get ahead 9-7 in set four, but the Garnet responded back by taking eight of ten points for a 15-11 lead. This gave Swarthmore a platform to consistently work to match point, securing set four at 25-18.

The Diplomats conclude non-conference play in Dallas, Pa. as they face Misericordia and Elizabethtown in a tri-match.