CAMBRIDGE, Mass.- For the first time in a quarter century, the Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (23-6, 9-1 Centennial Conference) earned an NCAA Tournament victory, defeating (RV) Williams (19-8, 7-3 NESCAC) in the First Round in four sets (25-19, 25-20, 11-25, 25-20) on Thursday evening. 

The win marks F&M's first NCAA tournament win since 2000 when a Diplomats side that featured Mary Kate Salko '01 defeated Western Connecticut State to advance to the Sweet 16. 

Ceci Connolly recorded a team-high 13 kills while hitting an efficient .458 plus three block assists. Coco Shultz posted a team-high 11 digs with 11 kills, while Melissa Benkowitz recorded a team-best three aces, ten kills, and eight digs. Liah Perez provided 25 assists with two aces, while Carly Campbell assisted 14 times with three aces and seven digs. Mya Anderson led the front row with four block assists.

Neither team was able to claim control early in set one, as the sides tied up to a 6-6 deadlock. At this stage, the Ephs scored four-straight points, utilizing three attack errors from F&M, to lead 9-6. With their lead at 11-7, F&M quickly swung momentum the other way with an eight-point run that included two Benkowitz kills and five attack errors from Williams. Leading 15-11, F&M's lead was nearly erased when the Ephs claimed the next three points to get back within one at 15-14. The Diplomats regained control, scoring six of the next eight points to extend the lead to 21-16. They reached set point at 24-17. The Ephs fought this off twice before Benkowitz ended the set with a kill at 25-19. The Diplomats made use of an error-ridden Williams attack in the first set, as the Ephs hit -.057 with a match-high ten attack errors.

After going behind 2-1, it was Williams that claimed control in the second set, going 7-2 ahead on a six-point run that included three consecutive aces. F&M stopped the run, and the teams traded serves a few times. Behind 9-5, the Diplomats went on a 7-0 run led by two Mya Anderson kills to put them ahead, 12-9. F&M continued to pull away in the middle of the set, using three-consecutive three-point runs that were broken up by a single Ephs point on each occasion to bring the lead to 21-12. At 23-14, Williams began to cut into the deficit, scoring five-straight points, although F&M would soon close out the set on a Shultz kill at 25-20. 

The Ephs hit .481 while keeping F&M to .083 in a 25-11 third-set loss. William garnered an early 5-1 lead thanks to four kills, while they soon pushed ahead of 12-3 on a six-point run that included five kills and an ace. The Diplomats stopped the run with kills from Shultz and Anderson, but the Ephs followed this by taking six of the next seven points for an 18-6 lead.The teams traded serves the rest of the way, as Williams sent the match to a fourth set on a block at 25-11. 

The Diplomats earned an early 5-1 lead this time, and they maintained this up to an 8-4 advantage. The Ephs claimed their first lead of the set, though, scoring five-straight points to lead by one. F&M countered with a 3-0 run that included a Benkowitz, Claire Kelly block and an ace from Perez to lead, 11-9. The Ephs drew level by scoring three of the next four points on kills, tying the set at 12-each.  The teams traded serves before the Diplomats tallied three-straight on a Connolly-Anderson block, Campbell ace, and an Ephs attack error for a 16-13 advantage. The teams traded serves several times before Williams reclaimed control of the set with four-straight points to lead, 20-19. The Diplomats countered this by scoring the six points they needed to win the match in a set-ending run that included three Connolly kills, including on match point. 

The Diplomats will face regional hosts, No. 9 MIT in the Second Round on Friday, November 21, at 7:00 p.m. It'll be the second time facing the Engineers following a five-set loss during the 2001 regular season. A preview of the match will be shared on Friday afternoon.