ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (12-3) concluded the non-conference slate with a straight-set win (25-12, 25-23, 25-13) over Elizabethtown (10-5) on Wednesday evening. The sweep is the team's 11th of the season heading into the ten-match Centennial Conference schedule that begins this weekend.

Ceci Connolly posted nine kills with a .316 hitting percentage and four block assists, while Paula Elguera posted a .750 hitting percentage on six kills with a team-high six blocks on five block assists and one solo block. Abby Silinski recorded a career-best 19 digs, while Liah Perez posted 26 assists, two aces, and eight dogs. Coco Shultz provided 14 digs with three aces and five kills, while Melissa Benkowitz had a team-high 12 kills with nine digs. 

The Diplomats offense hit a match-best .289 in the first set while holding the Blue Jays to a .000 hitting percentage. F&M opened the set with a 7-2 run that included two kills from Elguera, Connolly, and Benkowitz, respectively. The teams traded serves following that run, as F&M maintained an 11-7 lead. A 7-1 run that included two blocks pushed F&M's lead to 18-8. Following back-to-back Blue Jays points, F&M closed out the set with seven of the last nine points, including two kills apiece from Kendall Lee and Claire Kelly.

The earlier stages of the second set saw F&M gain an early lead before the Blue Jays tied things up seven separate times up to a 12-12 stalemate. A Benkowitz kill and Etown attack error gave F&M a 14-12 lead that was erased by a 3-0 run from the Blue Jays for their first lead of the set at 15-14. A service error broke their run for one point, as they claimed three more points on errors from F&M to push their lead to 18-15. F&M leveled the set at 19-apiece with a 4-1 run that included an ace from Silinski, a kill from Shultz, and a block from Connolly and Elguera. The Blue Jays earned the next two points before the Diplomats tied the set again on kills from Elguera and Connolly. Etown again scored back-to-back points to get within two points of the set win. At this point, the Diplomats rallied with four points, including three-straight kills from Benkowitz to earn the set victory and march closer towards a sweep. 
 
While the Diplomats hit just .167 in the third set, they held their opponents to a -.143 hitting percentage with ten attack errors. F&M scored the first three points of set three followed by a kill and ace from the Blue Jays. This was followed by nine unanswered from the Diplomats for a commanding 12-2 advantage. The run featured two aces from Shultz and two kills apiece from Elguera and Benkowitz. The Blue Jays stalled the run over the middle of the set, reducing the deficit narrowly to eight at 18-10. F&M scored the next four points on four-straight attack errors, including a solo block from Elguera. The teams traded points to the end of the set, winning the match on a kill from Mya Anderson. 

Franklin & Marshall opens the 2025 Centennial Conference slate by hosting Haverford on Saturday, October 4, at 1:00 p.m.