CAMBRIDGE, Mass.- The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team's (23-7, 9-1 Centennial Conference) NCAA Tournament run came to a close, as the Diplomats fell in straight sets (23-25, 22-25, 19-25) to No. 9 MIT (29-3, 11-0 NEWMAC) in the Second Round on Friday evening.

Coco Shultz registered nine kills and nine digs, tying for the team lead in both categories, while Melissa Benkowitz recorded nine kills and two aces with four digs. Liah Perez totaled 15 assists, while Carly Campbell had 12 assists with two aces and eight digs, tying for the most digs for the Diplomats. Ceci Connolly recorded seven kills with three block assists, while Avery Grantham totaled one solo block, two block assists, and four kills. Mya Anderson hit .600 with three kills and two block assists.

The Diplomats began the match with full momentum, scoring the first three points on a Paula Elguera-Connolly block and back-to-back aces from Benkowitz. The Engineers stopped the run with two points, but the Diplomats extended their lead to 7-3, claiming four of five points including two kills from Shultz. The teams traded serves until the Engineers claimed their first lead of the set on a four-point run, putting F&M behind 12-11. The Diplomats scored the next two points, but MIT countered with two points of their own to maintain a one-point lead at 14-13. The teams continued to trade serves up to a 17-17 tie when the Engineers broke out to a two-point lead. F&M followed this by tying the set at 19-apiece on another Elguera-Connolly block and a Shultz kill.  MIT countered with a kill and an ace to again lead by two points. They were able to trade points to the end of the set, winning on a kill at 25-23.

MIT earned the early advantage in the second set, leading 5-1 in the opening stages before pushing further ahead on a four-point run that gave them an 11-3 lead. The Diplomats began to consistently reduce the deficit following this, scoring five of the next six points to now trail 12-8. The teams traded serves over the next phase of the set, leaving MIT's lead at 16-12. The Diplomats then began a set-tying four-point run that included two Connolly kills. After trading serves, F&M claimed their first lead of the match on an Anderson kill for a 19-18 advantage. The Engineers countered with back-to-back points to lead by one, but F&M again fought back with a Benkowitz kill and a Grantham-Claire Kelly kill to again lead by a point. MIT again scored two points, though, before Shultz tied the set on a kill at 22-22. The Engineers executed in this clutch scenario, closing out the set with a 3-0 run that ended with a block. 

While MIT led 3-1 to begin the set, the Diplomats quickly responded with a three-point swing to lead, 4-3. The Engineers recovered, scoring six of the next seven points, including four kills, an ace, and a block, for a 9-5 advantage. The Diplomats closed within one, scoring four of five points including two Benkowitz kills. MIT followed this with a pivotal 7-1 run, giving them a 17-10 cushion. From here, they were able to trade serves to the end of the match, winning at 25-19.

The Diplomats conclude 2025 with a 23-7, 9-1 Centennial Conference record that included a season-best seven-match winning streak to open the season and 15 straight-set sweeps. With yesterday's First-Round win, F&M earned its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2000 and the fourth overall. In conference play, the team earned its 12th Centennial Conference Tournament Championship appearance, marking the first time since 2022. Across Divsion III entering tonight, the Diplomats ranked 15th in assists per set (12.46), 17th in kills per set (13.34), 23rd in aces per set (2.85), and 38th in hitting percentage (.226).