Franklin & Marshall College

LANCASTER, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (13-6, 6-0 Centennial Conference) celebrated Senior Day was a straight-set sweep (25-20, 27-25, 25-22) over visiting Washington College (13-8, 3-4 Centennial Conference) on Saturday afternoon.

Melissa Benkowitz hit .300 with a team-best 14 kills and three service aces plus eight digs. Ceci Connolly totaled 13 kills with three block assists, while Mia Mascherino had a team-high 17 digs with eight kills. Carly Campbell set 20 kills with two aces and five digs, while Melody Butzer had 15 assists, two aces, two kills and five digs. Chloe Wiedman had 14 digs at libero. Chloe Kelly led the team with 2.5 blocks from one solo block and three block assists. 

The Shorewomen opened set one with a quick 6-2 advantage, making use of three attack errors from F&M.  F&M began to keep pace, scoring four of the next seven points to maintain the gap at 9-6. Washington College scored three of the next four points, although F&M countered with a 4-0 run to close within a point at 12-11. F&M soon tied the set at 13-13 on a block from Kelly and Benkowitz. The sides traded serves up to 16-15 when F&M claimed control with a 3-0 run capped by a Butzer ace, leading for the first time since scoring the opening points. Benkowitz pushed the lead to 20-17 with an ace and a kill, and F&M held a three-point advantage up to 23-20. A service error was followed by a set-point kill from Benkowitz. 

Before offensives were kept below a .125 hitting percentage in a second set that saw 12 ties before F&M won the game, 27-25. The Shorewomen drew an early 3-1 lead, although F&M tied things up at 4-4 from two errors and another ace from Butzer. A later 3-0 run with kills from Mascherino and Avery Grantham plus an Abby Silinski ace gave F&M its first lead of the game at 8-6.The Shorewomen tied things up at 9-9, although F&M broke away with another three-point run with a kill from Connolly plus a block from her and Kelly. F&M's 12-9 lead evaporated, as Washington College scored eight of the next ten points, utilizing four attack errors from F&M to lead, 17-14. Yet again, a 3-0 run from F&M tied the game thanks to a kill and an ace from Benkowitz. After trading serves up to 19-19, Washington College claimed three points before being countered by yet another run of three points from the hosts. A kill and a Diplomat attack error got the Shorewomen to set point at 24-22, but the Diplomats fought off two set points thanks to a kill from Benkowitz and a block from Connolly and Mya Anderson. Washington scored a kill to get another go at set point, but Connolly countered with a kill that began a three-point run to win the second set at 27-25 on an attack error.

Connolly guided F&M to an early 5-2 lead via three kills, although the Shorewomen struck back with a set-tying 5-2 run. F&M earned the lead back on a 4-2 run with a Campbell kill and kills from three different Diplomats. F&M maintained a small lead up to 15-15 when the Shorewomen claimed five of six points on a run with consecutive blocks, putting F&M behind, 19-16. F&M countered with a 6-1 run led by 1.5 blocks from Kelly and two kills from Connolly, putting their new advantage at 22-20. F&M reached set point with a three-point lead before winning the match on a kill from Benkowitz at 25-22.

The Diplomats play the first of two away games next week when they travel to Ursinus on Wednesday, October 28.