HAVERFORD, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (8-6, 1-0 Centennial Conference) opened the Centennial Conference schedule with a straight-set sweep (25-16, 25-20, 25-18) at Haverford (9-2, 0-1 Centennial Conference).
Ceci Connolly returned from injury with a team-leading 14-kill performance with a career-best .542 hitting percentage (minimum 15 attacks) plus two block assists. Three other Diplomats totaled ten kills including
Avery Grantham (.450 hitting percentage),
Mia Mascherino (career-best .296 hitting percentage), and
Melissa Benkowitz (.219 hitting percentage). Mascherino also recorded ten digs, while Benkowitz had eight digs and two total blocks.
Chloe Wiedman led the team with 16 digs, while
Carly Campbell had a team-high in both assists (26) and service aces (2).
Melody Butzer contributed 15 assists and one ace. Gretchen Eicheler hit an efficient .444 with five kills plus an ace and block assist.
As a team, F&M hit a season-best .359 across the three sets, opening with a match-best .452 in the first game. Haverford opened the game with a 3-1 lead from three kills, but F&M drew level with a 3-1 run of their own. After trading points up to an 8-7 Haverford advantage, the Diplomats claimed their first lead of the day on a 3-0 run with kills from Grantham and Connolly plus an ace from Campbell. The lead soon reached 16-11 with a 5-1 run led by two kills from Benkowitz. The Diplomats continued to consistently outpace the Fords, reaching set point at 24-16 before closing the game on a kill from Eichelzer.
The Diplomats kicked off the second set with an early 3-0 lead thanks to a kill and 0.5 blocks from Connolly. The Fords countered with seven of the next eight points including five kills and one block. F&M regained momentum, reclaiming control with a 4-0 run led by two more kills from Connolly. Haverford yet again reclaimed the lead with four points of their own. Down 11-8, F&M answered back with another run of their own, scoring four of the next five points to tie the game at 12-12. From here, the sides traded two-points up to a 16-16 tie. Connolly broke the tie with a kill to give F&M its first lead since the 8-7 advantage. Following a game-tying kill from Haverford, F&M broke away, scoring five of six points, including a pair of kills from Benkowitz, for a 22-18 advantage heading towards the end of the set. The Diplomats reached set point at 24-20 and ended the game with a kill from Mascherino.
Haverford drew an early 3-2 lead from two kills and an ace, but F&M claimed the lead back with back-to-back kills from Eichelzer. Haverford tied the game at 4-4, but the Diplomats answered back with a 3-0 run that included two kills from Mascherino. Haverford responded with a set-tying 3-0 run, putting the game at 7-7. After trading serves once, F&M scored four points in a row for a 12-8 lead and didn't look back the rest of the way. Another 3-0 run took the lead to 16-10, and the sides battled back and forth up to F&M reaching match point at 24-18 after a run of three-straight kills from Connolly. The match closed on the next serve on a block from Grantham and Eichelzer.
The Diplomats return to the Mayser Center to host McDaniel on Wednesday, October 7, at 7 p.m.
