LANCASTER, Pa.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (11-3) dropped Thursday night's non-conference match against defending DIII National Champions No. 8 Juniata (11-2) in three sets (23-25, 12-25, 19-25).

Melissa Benkowitz led the team with 12 digs and nine kills, while Coco Shultz recorded two aces, nine kills, and five digs. Ceci Connolly recorded seven kills with two block assists. Abby Silinski totaled nine digs. Liah Perez and Lily Harmon split setting duties, with Perez recording 16 assists and ten digs, while Harmon contributed ten assists with three digs. 

Neither side led by more than three points in a tightly-contested opening set, as F&M carried a 22-19 lead into the late stages before Juniata claimed the set, 25-23. The Eagle opened the match with the first three points, but F&M fought back with two points on an attack error and a Paula Elguera-Connolly block to trail, 3-2. The teams traded serves up to the Diplomats tying the set at 7-7 on a Silinski ace. After trading points again, the Diplomats claimed their first lead of the set on back-to-back kills from Connolly and Benkowitz at 11-10. Juniata countered with a three-point run to reclaim the lead, but F&M maintained pace through the middle of the set. A three-point run with kills from Jillian Surkis, Connolly, and Elguera put F&M back ahead at 18-17, while they continued to outpace the Eagles, carrying a 22-19 lead late into the set. The visitors rallied back, as the Juniata closed out the set on a 6-1 run with four kills and a block to win the set at 25-23. 

F&M trailed 11-8 early in the second set before an 8-2 run from Juniata put the Diplomats too far back, with F&M dropping the second set, 25-12. The Eagles started the set with a 5-2 advantage via two kills and two aces, but F&M responded with three of the next four points to close the gap to 6-5. The Eagles claimed the next four points from two kills and two aces to push their lead to 10-5. F&M maintained the pace for a few serves before Eagles pulled away with a 8-2 run that put their lead in the set at 19-10. The Diplomats struggled during that run, totaling four attack errors and one service error. F&M claimed a couple of points before the Eagles closed out the set on five unanswered, including four aces, winning the set at 25-12. 

The Eagles posted six blocks in a third set where they maintained the pace, winning 25-19. The teams traded points to begin the third game, with Juniata leading 5-3 through the early stages. They followed this with a 5-2 run, including back-to-back blocks, to push their lead to 10-6. The Diplomats countered over the next phase with a 5-2 run of their own close within one point at 13-12. The Eagles found momentum again with a seven-point run that included four kills and two blocks. Down 21-13, the Diplomats kept the set alive with a 6-1 run to reduce the gap to 22-19. Juniata closed out the sweep with two kills and an ace, handing F&M the team's third loss of 2025. 

The Diplomats face one more non-conference opponent ahead of the Centennial Conference slate when they make the short trip to Elizabethtown on Wednesday, October 1, at 7:00 p.m.