HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team put its eight-match winning streak to the ultimate test on Saturday as it traveled to Juniata to face the two-time defending national champion and top-ranked Eagles. The Diplomats saw their winning streak come to an end in the opening match of the day, but quickly bounced back with the team's eighth sweep of the season as the team ran its record to 10-2 with the latest victory over Muskingum. F&M entered today's action receiving votes in the most recent national polls.
No. 1 Juniata 3, Franklin & Marshall 0
The host Eagles had their largest advantage of the night during the opening game as they went up 1-0 with a 25-16 victory to start the afternoon. Nevertheless, the Diplomats continued to battle and played competitive 25-18 games during the final two sets.
During the second set, F&M was within five at 22-17 following a kill from Ceci Connolly, but the Eagles would let them get no closer the rest of the way. The Diplomats were within three points, 20-17, before Juniata scored five of the final six points to solidify the victory.
Gianna Mangiamele led the F&M offense with nine kills during the first match, with Mya Anderson adding five more. Liah Perez dished out half of the team's 24 assists during the showdown with the nation's No. 1 team, in addition to a pair of service aces.
Franklin & Marshall 3, Muskingum 0
The Diplomats quickly rebounded after a short break and went up 2-0 with consecutive 25-17 game victories. The opening set saw the Muskies hanging around at 18-14 before the Diplomats rolled off five straight points to extend their lead during the eventual win. The second set went very similar as the Diplomats were again up by an 18-14 score before four consecutive points to help them go up 2-0.
The third set ended up being the tightest final score of the second match despite F&M holding a 24-16 lead. Nevertheless, Muskingum would not go down without a battle as the Muskies fought off seven straight match points before Perez got a kill to lockdown the team's sweep and 1-1 day.
Mangiamele had another nine kills during the second match as well, as she hit .412 throughout the victory. Avery Grantham matched that total with nine kills of her own during 12 attempts as she finished with a .667 hitting percentage. Coco Shultz, Anderson, and Connolly each added six kills to the winning effort. Perez and Carly Campbell took turns setting up the attack with 17 and 15 assists, respectively. Mikayla Smith led the defensive effort with 11 digs, with Shultz adding 10 of her own.
Volleyball returns to action at local foe Lancaster Bible this Tuesday, September 24 at 7 p.m. That will be the team's final tune-up before Centennial Conference action gets underway next Saturday at Muhlenberg.
