LANCASTER, Pa.- The second-seeded Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (22-5, 9-1 Centennial Conference) returns to the Centennial Conference Tournament Championship for the first time since 2022 following Friday's semifinals win over Haverford. They'll face first-seeded No. 9 Johns Hopkins (24-4, 9-1 Centennial Conference) with sights set on the program's seventh Centennial Conference Tournament Championship on Sunday, November 16th, at 1:00 p.m.

Ticket Information

The Centennial Conference has announced that Hudl will serve as the ticket provider for CC championship events. Hudl will give event attendees the ability to purchase tickets online for each round of the Centennial postseason beginning with field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball this fall. Centennial fans will be able to find all scheduled postseason events on the Centennial ticketing homepage and quickly purchase tickets to receive via email. Fans will then use their smartphone to gain access at championship events through a simple and secure ticket validation process.  Below are the ticket prices for each round of the postseason:
Adults - $10
Students (Age 6 through High School) - $5
Senior Citizens - $5
College Students, Faculty & Staff of Centennial Schools - FREE
Children 5 and Under – FREE

The Field

FIRST ROUND: Wednesday, Nov. 12 | at #3 & #4 seeds
#3 Haverford def. #6 Dickinson, 3-2
#5 Gettysburg def. #4 Swarthmore, 3-0

SEMIFINALS: Friday, Nov. 14 | at #1 & #2 seeds
#2 Franklin & Marshall def. #3 Haverford, 3-1
#1 Johns Hopkins def. #5 Gettysburg. 3-1

CHAMPIONSHIP: Sunday, Nov. 16 | at #1 Johns Hopkins
#2 Franklin & Marshall at #1 Johns Hopkins 1:00 p.m.

Entering the Centennial Championship

A four-set win (17-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-22) in Friday's Centennial Conference Tournament Semifinals against third-seeded Dickinson earned the Diplomats a spot in the Centennial Conference Tournament Championship for the first time since 2022. Melissa Benkowitz posted a career-best 20 kills with a .273 hitting percentage with eight digs. Coco Shultz recorded 17 digs, 13 kills, and three aces. Avery Grantham hit .450 with 12 kills, while Ceci Connolly swung .379 with 12 kills and four block assists. Liah Perez assisted 28 times with three aces and 12 digs, while Carly Campbell recorded 23 assists with 12 digs. Abby Silinski led the defense with 18 digs. Claire Kelly recorded four block assists while hitting .429 with three kills.  

The Diplomats enter Sunday following a 22-5, 9-1 Centennial Conference campaign to date that earned the team the second seed and a first-round bye in the Centennial Conference Tournament for the first time since 2019. The Diplomats have earned 15 sweeps from their 22 victories, and the team's five losses have all come against ranked opponents. 

Entering the weekend, the team ranked highly across Division III in a few stat categories, ranking 15th in assists per set (12.44), both 16th in aces per set (2.95) and kills per set (13.34), and 32nd in hitting percentage (.232). 

Mary Kate Salko '01 enters her 20th Centennial Conference Tournament seeking a third Centennial Conference Championship and fifth NCAA Tournament appearance. The 2024 Diplomats entered the Centennial Conference Tournament as the third seed, earning a sweep over sixth-seeded Ursinus in the first round before falling in five sets at second-seeded Swarthmore in the semifinal round.The Diplomats earned an at-large NCAA Tournament bid, dropping their opening match to (RV) Illinois Wesleyan in three sets. Coco Shultz starred in 2024's postseason, totaling 42 kills with a .305 hitting percentage and 23 digs in 11 sets played.

Players to Watch

The 16th-best serving team in Division III is led by Leah Perez's 0.69 aces per set which leads the Centennial Conference and ranks 36th across Division III. The senior setter also ranks second in the conference in assists per set (5.77). Sophomore setter Carly Campbell has primarily shared setting responsibilities for the Diplomats, and she ranks fourth in the conference in assists per set (5.62). Junior defensive specialist Emily Dean has averaged the sixth-most aces per set (0.56 in the Centennial Conference). 

Coco Shultz has had an impressive senior season to date, becoming F&M's 11th player with 1,000 career points and digs. Along the way, she averaged the second-most aces per set (0.64) in the conference behind Perez, and the eight-most points per set (3.49). Shultz also leads the Diplomats in the back row by averaging 2.98 digs per set.

Melissa Benkowitz and Ceci Connolly have also been key in attack for the Diplomats. Among qualifying attackers, Connolly ranks fourth in the Centennial in hitting percentage (.312), sixth in kills per set (3.25), and seventh in points per set (3.58). Benkowitz is seventh in kills per set (3.13) and sixth in points per set (3.59), while she ranks second on the Diplomats in digs per set (2.99). 

First-year libero Abby Silinski ranks third on the Diplomats in digs per set (2.87). F&M's front-row defense has been led by Paula Elguera and Connolly who are averaging 0.65 and 0.63 blocks per set, respectively. Mya Anderson has F&M's third-best hitting percentage (.284).

Scouting the Blue Jays

The No. 9 Blue Jays have relatively maintained their strong form under first-year head coach Bayleigh Braswell posting a 24-4, 9-1 Centennial Conference record to date as Johns Hopkins seeks a ninth-consecutive Centennial Conference Championship. Their lone Centennial Conference loss came in four sets against Haverford, marking the team's second in-conference defeat in the last six seasons.

Across Division III entering the weekend, the Blue Jays were third in assists per set (12.89), 4th in kills per set, and 20th in both hitting percentage (.245) and blocks per set (2.17). They lead the conference in all of these categories plus opponent hitting percentage (.126).

Simone Adam ranks as one of the Centennial Conference's strongest attackers, as the senior outside hitter is second in kills per set (3.62) and points per set (4.20), and fourth in hitting percentage (.326). Two other Blue Jays are in the top ten in hitting percentage, with graduate middle blocker Michela De Marzi third (.327) and senior opposite Alice Yu in seventh (.289). The duo are also in the top ten in blocks per set, as Yu is fourth (1.00) and De Marzi ranks sixth (0.91). Senior setter Helena Swaak is averaging the most assists per set in the conference (5.90), while sophomore libero Nicole Tuszynski is third in digs per set (4.11). 

Series History vs. Johns Hopkins

The Blue Jays maintain a 26-27 record over the Diplomats, winning the last eight matches dating back to 2019's regular season match. The sides have met four times in the Centennial Conference Tournament Championship, with Johns Hopkins three-time winners (2012, 2019, 2022). F&M won 2000's championship match in four sets. The overall postseason record is 7-6 in favor of F&M. 

2025's regular season contest saw the No. 8 Blue Jays earn a sweep at the Mayser Center in October. Liah Perez recorded 20 assists with two aces and five digs, while Ceci Connolly led the attack with nine kills plus two block assists. Coco Shultz led the team with ten digs, while Carly Campbell posted a team-best three aces. For the Blue Jays, Simone Adam recorded 14 kills with a .478 hitting percentage and three block assists.