The 2025 Franklin & Marshall volleyball team has confirmed its 2025 schedule, as the team seeks back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and the program's seventh Centennial Conference Championship. Mary Kate Salko 01's 23rd season as head coach includes 11 home matches, 10 road contests, and five neutral-site opponents.
The Diplomats' 2025 schedule features plenty of challenges over the course of 26 matches, as this year's slate features seven teams that also competed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, including two semifinalists and the reigning Division III Volleyball champions. F&M opens the year by facing Lancaster Bible, Randolph-Macon, and Susquehanna at the F&M Scramble on August 29 and August 30. F&M is on the road over the next week-and-a-half with trips to Albright (September 4), Drew (September 6), DeSales (September 10). The date at Drew is a tri-match also featuring Penn State Harrisburg.
The Diplomats return to the Mayser Center for a tri-match on September 13, hosting national quarter-finalists Washington & Lee and Keystone. F&M heads to Gallaudet for a four-team tournament on September 19 and 20, where they will face tournament qualifiers (and hosts) Gallaudet, national semi-finalists Hope, Mary Washington, and Mount Union. F&M follows this high-intensity weekend by hosting three-time defending national champions Juniata on September 25. Their final opponent before beginning Centennial Conference matches is an away day at Elizabethtown (October 1), while they'll conclude non-conference action on the final day of the regular season against Virginia Wesleyan on November 8.
The first Centennial Conference match sees the Diplomats host Haverford on October 4. After traveling to McDaniel on October 8, F&M will face fellow NCAA Tournament qualifiers Gettysburg (October 15) and Johns Hopkins (October 18) in back-to-back matches at home. The next week features away trips to Muhlenberg (October 22) and Washington College (October 25) before wrapping up the home slate with Ursinus (October 29) and Dickinson (November 1). The last week includes trips to Bryn Mawr (November 5) and a Centennial Conference Semifinal rematch at Swarthmore (November 8).
The six-team Centennial Conference Tournament begins on November 12, with the championship match slated for November 16. The NCAA Tournament regional weekend is set to occur November 20-22, while the Shirk Center Arena in Bloomington, Ill. will play host to the Elite 8 onwards from December 3-6.
The 2024 Diplomats returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018, marking the team's tenth overall appearance. To get there, they posted the program's best regular season winning percentage since 2013 en route to the team's 16th-straight Centennial Conference Tournament appearance and third-straight appearance in the tournament's semifinal round. The team ended the year with a 23-7, 8-2 Centennial Conference record.