BABSON PARK, Mass. – The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team completed a perfect 3-0 weekend in Massachusetts with back-to-back sweeps against Emerson and UMass Dartmouth on Saturday. The Diplomats started their day with a hard-fought sweep of Emerson by a score of 25-22, 25-22, 29-27 before notching its fifth consecutive victory against UMass Dartmouth by a 28-26, 25-20, 25-22 final.
Franklin & Marshall 3, Emerson 0
Eight different F&M players recorded at least three kills during the sweep of Emerson, led by a team-best 10 from Coco Shultz. The most efficient player on the attack was Mya Anderson as she registered seven kills in 13 attempts for a .538 hitting percentage. Anderson added five blocks (one solo, four assisted) to her day to finish with 10 points, while Gianna Mangiamele led the Diplomats with 11 points. Avery Grantham was also particularly effective with six kills against just one error in 10 attempts for a .500 average.
Although the first set was a tight final score, the Diplomats never trailed and were not even tied beyond the three-all mark of that game. F&M looked to be in control of the set as it led 23-16 before four consecutive service aces helped close the score to 23-22. However, Franklin & Marshall took a timeout to stem the momentum and got a kill from Mangiamele before she teamed up with Anderson on a block to close the opening game. The second set was also 23-22 in the Diplomats' favor before Mangiamele and Anderson teamed up on another block before the final attack from Emerson went wide during a game that was deadlocked on five occasions.
The final game the most competitive as it featured 10 ties and five lead changes. The Diplomats led by as many as five points, 20-15, but Emerson eventually tied the score at 24-all. Emerson led just once during the extra points as F&M had a set point against them at 27-26, but the Diplomats secured the next three points to come away with the sweep. Liah Perez continued to led the setters as she dished out 19 assists, with Carly Campbell adding 16 more. In addition to her team lead in kills, Shultz finished as F&M's leader in digs with 15.
UMass Dartmouth 3, Franklin & Marshall 0
Playing UMass Dartmouth for the first time in program history, the two sides appeared destined for a classic showdown right from the opening point as they were tied on 12 occasions during an opening game that featured six lead changes. F&M had to fend off two set points at 25-24 and 26-25, but successfully did so before Shultz used a service ace to put her side up early.
The Diplomats were ultimately able to prevail during each of the three sets, but UMass Dartmouth did not go down without a fight the entire afternoon. F&M was tied at 20-all during the second game, but Perez's strong service at the line helped her side roll of five consecutive points to go up 2-0. UMass Dartmouth was within a single point at 21-20 during the third and final set before the Diplomats put away the hard-fought victory by winning three of the final four points.
Mangiamele led the hitters with 11 kills during the final match of the tournament, while Shultz added 10 more to round out a solid weekend. Melissa Benkowitz just missed making it three F&M players with double-digit kill totals as she finished with nine. Both she and Shultz tied for the team lead with 10 digs. Campbell led F&M in assists with 19 for the match, while Perez added 12 more.
Franklin & Marshall returns home this coming weekend as it hosts its own tournament beginning on Friday, September 13 against Virginia Wesleyan (7 p.m.). The Diplomats will also welcome Clarkson and Montclair State to Lancaster as they play those two sides next Saturday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
