BALTIMORE, Md.- The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (22-6, 9-1 Centennial Conference) were unable to end No. 9 Johns Hopkins' (25-4, 9-1 Centennial Conference) reign as defending Centennial Conference Champions, falling in four sets (24-26, 26-24, 24-26, 20-25) in Sunday's Centennial Conference Tournament Championship match.

Coco Shultz recorded a career-high 22 digs with 14 kills and two aces, while Melissa Benkowitz contributed 17 kills, 16 digs, and two aces. Liah Perez and Carly Campbell assisted 26 and 20 kills, respectively. Ceci Connolly registered ten kills. 

The Blue Jays had strong start to the first set, garnering an early 6-3 lead that expanded to 9-4 on a run of three-straight kills, forcing a Diplomats timeout. F&M returned from that break with three kills of their own from Benkowitz and a Blue Jays attack error to get back within one point. The Blue Jays found momentum again, stringing together four-straight points to again lead by five at 14-9. F&M reduced the lead, scoring four of the next five points and eventually tying the set at 18-18 on a three-point run that included two kills from Avery Grantham. Two Johns Hopkins points were followed by three points from F&M to claim the team's first lead of the day at 21-20, and the Blue Jays used a timeout. They returned from the break with a 3-0 run, but F&M reversed that run with three-points to reach set point at 24-23. The Blue Jays made use of a Diplomats service error, scoring two kills to claim set one at 26-24.

The Diplomats opened the second set with the first three points, although the Blue Jays followed that with a 4-1 run that tied the set at 4-4. A kill from Shultz plus an attack error from Johns Hopkins gave F&M a small lead that they maintained up to a 9-6 score. The Blue Jays made use of six attack errors from the Diplomats, going on a seven-point run for their first lead of the set at 13-9. F&M corrected course, scoring five of the next seven points to put the Hopkins lead at just 15-14. Behind 17-15, the Diplomats reclaimed the lead with a three-point run, but the Blue Jays swiftly countered with two points of their own, reclaiming a 19-18 advantage. The teams traded serves up to a 21-20 Blue Jays lead. At this point, F&M reclaimed control again on a run of kills from Connolly and Shultz plus a Benkowitz ace to lead, 23-21. The Blue Jays tied the set via a service error and block, but F&M reached set point first on a Connolly kill. Johns Hopkins fought off one set point before F&M earned a set victory on kills from Connolly and Shultz.

Neither side could gain the advantage to begin the third set, tying up to a 6-6 scoreline. The Diplomats strung together three-straight points on a Benkowitz kill, a block from Jillian Surkis and Claire Kelly, and an Abby Silinski ace, forcing a timeout from the Blue Jays. The teams traded serves following that pause, as F&M maintained a 12-9 lead. The Blue Jays erased the deficit at this stage, scoring four points in a row to claim a one-point lead at 13-12. After trading serves, a 5-1 Diplomats run put the visitors back in control, 18-15. Yet again, though, Johns Hopkins used a four-point run for yet another one-point lead. F&M followed this by reclaiming the lead on back-to-back points, and the teams traded serves up to a 22-21 F&M lead. The Blue Jays would reach set point first, scoring three of the next four points. A Shultz kill tied the set at 24-24, but the Blue Jays earned a pivotal third-set win from a kill and Diplomats attack error. 

The Blue Jays struck first in the fourth set, using a seven-point run that gave them an early 7-1 advantage. F&M consistently worked into the lead and eventually scored four-straight points to tie the game at 11-11 on a Connolly kill, and the Blue Jays used a timeout. The teams traded serves twice after that timeout, with Hopkins eventually scoring four-straight points, putting F&M behind 17-13. Shultz stalled the run with a kill, but the Blue Jays closed further on match point due to two F&M attack errors. This time, the Diplomats made use of two attack errors from the Blue Jays that began in a five-point run that included back-to-back Mya Anderson kills and a set-tying solo block from Benkowitz, putting the score at 19-19. Each team conceded a service error once, giving control back to the Blue Jays. At this point, they closed the match with a five-point run, clinching their ninth-consecutive conference title on a solo block.

The Diplomats will seek one of 21 available at-large bids into the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament during the tournament's selection show on Monday, November 17, at 1:00 p.m.