YORK, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team earned its third win and third sweep of the young season with a 25-23, 25-17, 25-8 non-conference victory over York (Pa.) on Tuesday evening. The Diplomats (3-1) get stronger during each successive game as their margin of victory grew wider while nearly every statistical category moved further in their favor throughout the match.
Six different players totaled at least four kills on the night for the Diplomats who finished with a .440 hitting percentage during the third and final set. Coco Shultz and Melissa Benkowitz led those efforts with seven kills each, as Gianna Mangiamele added six more during the win. Both of F&M's leading attackers at the net also finished with double-digit dig totals. Liah Perez dished out 16 assists, with Carly Campbell adding 11 more. The Diplomats also had a a 45-33 advantage in digs and finished with a season-best seven blocks. Rei Baker had a team-leading four blocks (two solo, two assisted) to pace those efforts at the net.
The back-and-forth opening set featured 12 ties and eight lead changes, while the second and third sets featured just four ties and one lead change during each game as the Diplomats took control of the match.
York and F&M were tied at 11-all during the opening set, but the Diplomats won the next point and led for the remainder of that game. However, the host Spartans did not go down without a fight as they trailed by just a single point at 21-20 and 24-23. The Diplomats were able to take that opening set to seize the early momentum as Mya Anderson and Benkowitz combined for a block on game point.
The second set's only tie came at one-all before F&M led the rest of the way. During its most dominant game to close the match, the Diplomats were tied at three-all before taking the lead for good. The biggest service run in the third set run came when Perez stepped to the line with her team leading 12-6. She helped her side score six consecutive points at the service line before Emily Dean took over those responsibilities and helped F&M to a 22-6 lead before the Spartans finally earned a side-out.
With back-to-back wins, Franklin & Marshall will head to Babson this weekend for another tournament. The action in Massachusetts gets underway on Friday at 6 p.m. against a Babson squad that is currently receiving votes in the national polls before F&M plays Emerson (11 a.m.) and UMass Dartmouth (2 p.m.) in neutral site action on Saturday.
