LANCASTER, Pa.- After earning an at-large bid into the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament, the Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (22-6, 9-1 Centennial Conference) travels to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) regional to face (RV) Williams (19-7, 7-3 NESCAC) in the opening round on Thursday, November 20, at 4:30 p.m.

Entering the NCAA Tournament

A four-set win in the 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, although first-seeded No. 9 Johns Hopkins claimed the championship match in four sets. Melissa Benkowitz led the Diplomats in kills per set (4.63) across the tournament, while Coco Shultz had a team-best 4.88 digs per set and 0.63 aces per set. Claire Kelly led the Diplomats with 0.83 blocks per set. Liah Perez averaged 6.75 assists per set alongside 5.38 assists per set from Carly Campbell. 

The Diplomats enter Sunday following a 22-6, 9-1 Centennial Conference campaign to date  The Diplomats have earned 15 sweeps from their 22 victories, and the team's six losses have all come against ranked opponents. 

Entering the tournament, the team ranked highly across Division III in a few stat categories, ranking 13th in assists per set (12.55), 15th in kills per set (13.42), 19th in aces per set (2.88), and 32nd in hitting percentage (.227).

Mary Kate Salko '01 enters her fifth NCAA Tournament as head coach, and it marks the first time the program has appeared in back-to-back tournaments since the team's run of five consecutive appearances from 1996 through 2000, during which she was a setter for the Diplomats (1997-2000). Earlier this week, she was named the AVCA All-Region 5 Coach of the Year for the second time.

Players to Watch

Ceci Connolly's efficient attacking has earned the sophomore outside hitter a AVCA All-Region 5 First-Team selection. Among qualifying Centennial Conference attackers, she ranks fifth in hitting percentage (.309, second among outside hitters), seventh in kills per set (3.21), and seventh in points per set (3.53).

The 19th-best serving team in Division III is led by Leah Perez's 0.65 aces per set which leads the Centennial Conference and ranks 44th across Division III. The senior setter, who was named a three-time AVCA All-Region 5 Honorable Mention setter earlier this week, also ranks second in the conference in assists per set (5.80). Sophomore setter Carly Campbell has primarily shared setting responsibilities for the Diplomats, and she ranks fourth in the conference in assists per set (5.59). 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 en route to placing on the All-Centennial Conference Second Team. She averaged the second-most aces per set (0.64) in the conference behind Perez, and the eight-most points per set (3.51). Shultz also leads the Diplomats in the back row by averaging 3.14 digs per set.

Melissa Benkowitz earned her first All-Centennial Conference selection with a spot on the honorable mention team. In the conference, she is sixth in points per set (3.72) and seventh in kills per set (3.25), while she ranks second on the Diplomats in digs per set (2.94). 

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 0.63 and 0.60 blocks per set, respectively. Mya Anderson has F&M's second-best hitting percentage (.280).

Scouting the Ephs

(RV) Williams are into the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the past four seasons after earning an at-large bid into the tournament. It's the 16th overall time they'll play in the NCAA Tournament. The Ephs maintain a 19-7, 7-3 NESCAC record entering the weekend. It's the first time the Diplomats will face the Ephs.

Their NESCAC tournament run, where they were the third seed, featured a four-set win over Middlebury in the quarterfinals before falling in five sets to No. 6 Colby in the semifinals. Their regular season was highlighted by a five-set win over eventual NESCAC Tournament champions No. 25 Tufts in early October.

Across Division III, the Ephs are 29th in blocks per set (2.10), while they rank fourth in the NESCAC in that category. In the conference, they are also fifth in hitting percentage (.202). 

Senior middle blocker Helen Qian is averaging a team-best 1.03 blocks per set, putting her seventh in the conference, while sophomore middle blocker Lilly Fox is averaging 0.99 blocks per set to rank ninth. Junior setter Morgan Daetz is ninth in the conference in assists per set (5.29), while sophomore setter Lilly Carstens is second on the team with 4.01 assists per set. Junior outside hitter/opposite Keely Campuzano is leading the Williams attack, averaging 2.82 kills per set, eighth in the NESCAC, with a .232 hitting percentage. Sophomore middle blocker/opposite Maya Thompson has the team's best hitting percentage at .270, while sophomore middle blocker/opposite Chi Obi is hitting .262. First-year libero/defensive specialist Eve Kaplan is leading the Ephs' passing with a 3.72 digs per set average, putting her fifth in the NESCAC, followed by sophomore outside hitter/opposite Kate Lane's 2.67 digs per set. Lane leads the team from the service line, averaging 0.48 aces per set to rank fourth in the conference, followed by Kaplan's 0.40 aces per set. 

2025 marks head coach Christi Kelsey's 16th season leading the Ephs, entering the week with a 271-158, 102-57 NESCAC record with a .500 winning percentage or higher in 14 of 15 seasons. The Ephs have qualified for the NESCAC Tournament in all 16 seasons with three NESCAC Championships and seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament culminating in an Elite Eight run in 2014. 

Ticket Information

Tickets for the MIT Regional will be sold exclusively online at this link.

Tickets are being sold for single sessions (one ticket is good for full, single day), with pricing is as follows:

Single-Session Tickets (Plus $1 Service Fee)

Adult - $12
Senior Citizen - $10
Student - $10
Children (ages 3-12) - $7
Children under 2 years - Free

MIT Regional Schedule

Thursday, November 20 - NCAA Tournament First Round

Match #1 - (RV) Colorado College vs. Salisbury - 11:30 a.m.
Match #2 - Manhattanville vs. No. 11 Trinity (Texas) - 2:00 p.m.
Match #3 - Franklin & Marshall vs. (RV) Williams - 4:30 p.m.
Match #4 - Pacific Lutheran vs. No. 16 MIT - 7:00 p.m.

Friday, November 21 - NCAA Tournament Second Round (Regional Semifinal)

Match #5 - Winner of Match #1 vs. Winner of Match #2 - 4:30 p.m.
Match #6 - Winner of Match #3 vs. Winner of Match #4 - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 22 - NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 (Regional Final)

Match #7 - Winner of Match #5 vs. Winner of Match #6 - 5:00 p.m.