LANCASTER, Pa.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall women's volleyball team (22-5, 8-2 CC) concluded the regular season with a loss in three sets to #3 Johns Hopkins (27-29, 23-25, 15-25) on Saturday evening.

Gianna Mangiamele was the Diplomats' primary attacking outlet, as she hit .357 with 13 kills. Avery Grantham totaled seven kills with a .385 hitting percentage and three block assists. Liah Perez assisted 19 times with a team-high six digs. 

Set one was the closest of the match, with eight lead changes and 12 ties across the first. F&M held an early 5-3 lead that soon closed down to 7-7. They took three of the next four points on kills from Grantham, Coco Shultz, and Ceci Connolly for a 10-8 advantage. Johns Hopkins responded by taking four of the next five points to get back ahead 12-11. The Diplomats took three points followed by a five-point Blue Jays run to put Johns Hopkins ahead 17-14. F&M soon tied the lead during a 5-1 stretch to tie the set at 20-20. Johns Hopkins won the race to set point, 24-23. A Blue Jays service error and Mangiamele gave the Diplomats a set point, but Johns Hopkins fought off set point three consecutive times before taking the set on three straight points. 

The sides traded points to open the second set, but the Blue Jays broke ahead 8-4 on a four-point run. F&M used a four-point run of their own to get back within a point, down 11-10. A gap of one or two points stood throughout the middle of the set, until three-straight F&M points gave them a 22-21 lead, the first since 2-1. The sides traded points once before Johns Hopkins took the final three points on two kills and an ace.

The Blue Jays pulled out to an 8-3 lead, with F&M closing down to 8-6 on a pair of consecutive blocks. Johns Hopkins broke away with a five-point run at 11-9 for a seven-point cushion. A later four-point run put them in control 21-12, as they traded points to match point, ending on a Diplomats service error. 

F&M concluded the regular season 22-5, 8-2 CC with the program's best regular season winning percentage since 2013 and third-straight 8-2 Centennial Conference record.

The Diplomats enter the Centennial Conference Tournament as the third seed and will host a first round match against sixth-seed Ursinus on Wednesday, November 13.