Box Score ALLENTOWN, Pa.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (16-4, 4-1 Centennial Conference) returned to winning form with a four-set victory (25-17, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21) at Muhlenberg (9-14, 1-4 Centennial Conference) on Wednesday night.

Liah Perez starred across the court, leading the team with four aces and 25 assists alongside 13 digs. Ceci Connolly led the Diplomats with 13 kills with a .344 hitting percentage and two block assists. Avery Grantham registered eight kills with a .333 hitting percentage, while Mya Anderson was .500 on six kills with two solo blocks. Coco Shultz contributed 14 digs, three aces, and seven kills, while Melissa Benkowitz had 14 digs, two aces, and six kills. Paula Elguera posted two solo blocks, one block assist, and three aces.

F&M kicked off the match with the first six points on a run with two aces and two kills from Shultz. Muhlenberg began to maintain pace before F&M pushed further ahead with a 4-0 run with two Grantham kills to lead 14-5. Muhlenberg fought back, erasing most of a 16-10 deficit on a 10-2 run that reduced F&M's lead to 18-16. At this point, the Diplomats coasted to the finish, scoring seven unanswered points before finishing the set on a kill from Anderson at 25-17. The set was the offense's most efficient of the night, as F&M hit .323. 

The Diplomats started even better in set two, registering nine consecutive points with two kills apiece from Connolly and Shultz. The teams began to trade serve over the next phase of the set, as the Mules trailed 17-8 in the middle stages. Muhlenberg began to cut into the deficit, trailing 22-17 entering the end of the set. The Diplomats ended hopes of a comeback for Muhlenberg in the set, scoring the final three points on a Grantham kill, attack error, and Perez ace to yet again win, 25-22.

The sides tied ten times in a back-and-forth set three before the Mules claimed the set, 25-22. Muhlenberg earned an early 4-1 lead that was canceled out by three-straight points from F&M. The teams traded serves up to 7-7, as Muhlenberg took a three-point lead on two kills and a block. The Diplomats scored two straight before the Mules counter with two points of their own for a 12-9 advantage. Yet again, F&M tied things up at 12-each on a Connolly kill plus a kill and ace from Shultz. The teams shared the lead over the next phase of the game, never leading by more than two points up to a 16-16 deadlock. At this point, Muhlenberg scored three-consecutive points followed by a three-point counter from the visitors. With the game tied at 20-20, the Mules found late momentum, ending the set with five of the last seven points.

While the Mules lead 3-1 to begin the third set, the Diplomats fought back with four-straight points to lead 5-3. F&M maintained a small lead before a 3-0 run from their opponents tied the set at 9-9. The teams traded points up to an 11-11 tie. At this point, the Mules scored three in a row for a 13-11 advantage. Down 14-12, the Diplomats strung together five-straight points, including two aces from Elguera and two kills from Connolly, for a 17-14 lead. While Muhlenberg closed within a point several times, they were unable to reclaim control. The Diplomats concluded the set with five of the last seven points, ending the match with back-to-back Connolly kills. 

The Diplomats are on the road again as they travel to Washington College on Saturday, October 25, at 1:00 p.m.