LANCASTER, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (19-4, 7-1 Centennial Conference) pulled off a successful reverse sweep (23-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-16, 25-6) of visiting Dickinson (16-10, 4-4 Centennial Conference) in Saturday's Senior Day match. In the match, Coco Shultz became the 23rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs and the 11th to reach 1,000 digs and 1,000 points. 

Shultz posted 19 digs plus a career-high 22 kills on a .340 hitting percentage. Liah Perez totaled a season-high 37 assists with 11 digs and a team-high four aces, while Carly Campbell posted 21 assists, nine digs, and two aces. Ceci Connolly hit .405 with 18 kills, while Melissa Benkowitz contributed across the court with 15 kills, 18 digs, and two aces. Paula Elguera led the team in blocks with two solo blocks and four block assists. Abby Silinski recorded 17 digs at libero. 

Neither team could claim control to begin the first set, as the sides tied up to a 7-7 deadlock. At this point, the Diplomats recorded seven unanswered, including two aces from Perez, for a 14-7 advantage. Dickinson consistently reduced that lead, scoring eight of the next 11 points for a 17-15 Diplomats lead. Following a pair of points for F&M, Dickinson went on an eight-point run that put them ahead, 23-19. The Diplomats scored three points, while Dickinson reached set point at 24-22. F&M fought off one set point before the Red Devils won, 25-23.

Yet again, the sides struggled to gain momentum in a contested start to the second game. Dickinson scored three-straight for a 6-4 lead, but this was canceled out by a 3-1 Diplomats run to tie the set at seven each. The teams traded serves up to an 11-11 tie. At this point, Dickinson used a 6-1 run for a four-point lead. They consistently pushed out to a 22-17 advantage entering the late stages of the set. At this point, the Diplomats rallied back with three-consecutive Benkowitz kills. This began a 7-1 run that brought F&M to set point at 24-23. The Red Devils yet again swung momentum in their favor, closing the set with three points, including two blocks, for a 26-24 win. 

The Diplomats reverse sweep began with a competitive third set where they fought off a late charge from Dickinson. The Diplomats began the set with an 8-1 lead on a run with two kills apiece from Connolly and Benkowitz. F&M held this margin, entering the middle of the set with a 16-9 lead. Dickinson closed the lead to three with a 6-2 stretch to put the F&M lead at 18-15. Another three-point run closed the lead to just one point at 19-18. A kill from Grantham and an attack error bought the Diplomats some space, but the Red Devils again drew within a point, down 22-21. Two points from F&M brought the Diplomats to set point. Dickinson fought this off twice before a Connolly kill sent the match to a fourth set. 

Following two Dickinson points to begin the fourth set, the Diplomats took complete control with an 11-2 run that featured four kills from Shultz. Dickinson again fought back, though, scoring five unanswered on three kills and two aces. The Diplomats responded with a five-point run of their own that included two aces from Campbell for a 16-9 lead. F&M held this margin for most of the set, eventually closing the game with a 3-0 run that included back-to-back Shultz kills at 25-16.  

After an opening kill from the Red Devils in the fifth set, the Diplomats broke away with eight-consecutive points for a 8-1 lead at the change of sides. Dickinson scored the next three points followed by two points from the Diplomats, who now lead 10-4. The teams traded serves before the Diplomats confirmed the match, and the comeback victory, on a 3-0 run. 

F&M travels to Bryn Mawr on Wednesday, November 5, at 7:00 p.m.