LANCASTER, Pa. – Following a 2025 season where the Franklin & Marshall volleyball team claimed a second-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and the program's first program win since 2000, the Diplomats look ahead towards 2026, beginning with the season-opening match at Rowan on Tuesday, September 1. The 2025 team posted a 23-7, 9-1 Centennial Conference record with the team's first Centennial Conference Tournament Championship appearance since 2022. 15 players return from last season's side, while five first-year players add depth across the court. Mary Kate Salko '01 will lead the Diplomats into her 24th season as the program's head coach.

2025 Season Review

The Diplomats concluded 2025 with a 23-7, 9-1 Centennial Conference record that saw F&M win its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2000, the program's fourth overall win in the Tournament. The season included a seven-match winning streak to open the season and 15 straight-set sweeps. In conference play, the team earned its 12th Centennial Conference Tournament Championship appearance, marking the first time since 2022. Across Division III, the Diplomats ranked 14th in assists per set (12.43), 17th in kills per set (13.29), 24th in aces per set (2.82), and 42nd in hitting percentage (.224).  

2026 Diplomats

Roster | Schedule | Coaching Staff | Watch Live (home games)

Attack

The core of the F&M attack returns for 2026, with the lone departure coming from AVCA All-Region 5 Honorable Mention and two-time All-Centennial Conference outsider hitter Coco Shultz. 

Two All-Centennial Conference outside hitters in Ceci Connolly and Melissa Benkowitz are among five players returning at either outside hitter or right side hitter this year. Ceci Connolly claimed AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and first-team spots on the AVCA-All Region 5 and All-Centennial Conference teams in 2025. Among the conference's attackers, she ranked fourth in hitting percentage (.313), sixth in kills per set (3.18), and seventh in points per set (3.52). Melissa Benkowitz placed on the All-Centennial Conference Honorable Mention Team a season ago and was a one-time conference Offensive Player of the Week. She was key in both defense and attack, leading the team with 322 kills while totaling 285 digs. Among the conference's players, she ranked seventh in kills per set (3.18) and sixth in points per set (3.65). Jillian Surkis and Kendall Lee also return at outside hitter.

Lina Thompson will look to make a mark as a right-side hitter following a freshman season where she was sidelined via injury. 

Four middle blockers return for 2026 including seniors Mya Anderson and Paula Elguera, junior Avery Grantham, and sophomore Claire Kelly. Anderson posted the eight-best hitting percentage (.286) among Centennial Conference players.  

Three attackers are joining F&M in 2026 including outside hitters Mia Mascherino and Oriah Rosenfeld plus middle blocker Gretchen Eichelzer. 

Setters

While three-time AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region setter Liah Perez departs, three players return at setter for 2026 including junior Carly Campbell. She primarily combined with Perez to help the Diplomats' offense towards the 14th-most assists per set (12.43) across DIII and the 42nd best attack in the country by hitting percentage (.228). Among Centennial Conference setters, she ranked seventh in assists per set (5.47). Senior Emily Dean played both in defense and at setter at times last season, while she averaged 0.56 service aces per set. Senior Lily Harmon returns for her second season at F&M after appearing in 33 sets and 19 matches last year.  

Junior Melody Butzer will complete the 2026 setting quartet, as the Lancaster native joins the Diplomats following a two-year spell with Western Kentucky's beach volleyball team.

Defense

Three players return as liberos/defensive specialists, including seniors Maile Lani Sugamura and Chloe Wiedman plus sophomore Abby Silinski. Silinski quickly made her mark, totaling 245 digs in 2025 as a regular libero. Chloe Wiedman contributed 126 digs across 20 matches last season, while injury kept Sugamura from appearing in 2025, although she has appeared in 56 sets and 26 matches to date. 

Angie Anderson will complete a four-player libero/defensive specialist position group. 

The Road Ahead

The 2026 schedule features 13 non-conference matches in September ahead of the ten-match Centennial Conference schedule that spans October and early November. Eight matches will be played at the Mayser Center, 11 contests are away, and four games will be played at neutral sites. 

An away trip to Rowan on Tuesday, September 1 opens the season, marking the first matchup in the series since 2016. Next is a four-match tournament at Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. The Diplomats will play Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, defending national champions Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and Wisconsin-River Falls across Friday, September 4, and Saturday, September 5. All teams will be first-time opponents. The Diplomats are at home for the first time in 2026 as they face Penn State Harrisburg and Susquehanna in a quad match on Saturday, September 12, with both sides returning from the 2025 schedule. Lancaster Bible will complete the quad-match lineup but won't face the Diplomats on the day. 

The Diplomats return to the road in the next week with trips to Marymount (Tuesday, September 15) and Lancaster Bible (Friday, September 18) during the week before traveling to Montclair State on Saturday, September 19 for a tri-match also featuring Whittier. The non-conference slate wraps up with a trip to Juniata on Thursday September 24 and a home match against Elizabethtown on Tuesday, September 29. Lancaster Bible, Juniata, and Elizabethtown were 2025 opponents, while F&M resumes series against Marymount, Montclair State, and Whittier.

Four of F&M's 13 non-conference opponents also competed in 2025's NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament including national champions Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Pacific Lutheran, Marymount, and Juniata.

F&M begins the Centennial Conference schedule in a rematch of 2025's Centennial Conference Tournament Semifinal at Haverford on Saturday, October 3. That's followed by hosting McDaniel on Wednesday, October 7. F&M is on the road the following week at Gettysburg on Wednesday, October 14 and at defending conference champions Johns Hopkins in a championship rematch on Saturday, October 17. F&M hosts Muhlenberg (Wednesday, October 21) and Washington College (Saturday, October 24) ahead of back-to-back away matches at Ursinus (Wednesday, October 28) and Dickinson (Saturday, October 31). The final week of the regular season sees F&M host Bryn Mawr (Wednesday, November 4) and Swarthmore (Saturday, November 7). 

The Diplomats went 9-1 in the regular season last year, suffering the team's lone in-conference loss to Johns Hopkins in straight sets, while the Blue Jays went on to win the Centennial Conference Championship in four sets. Centennial Conference sweeps came against Bryn Mawr, Ursinus, Washington College, and McDaniel.  The team earned four-set victories against Haverford (regular season and postseason), Muhlenberg, and Swarthmore, while five-set wins last year included Gettysburg and Dickinson. 

The six-team Centennial Conference Tournament opens with first-round action on Wednesday, November 11 ahead of the semifinal round on Friday, November 13. The 2026 Centennial Conference Tournament champion will be crowned on Sunday, November 15. 

The 64-team NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament opens with the eight-team regionals from Thursday, November 19 through Saturday, November 21. Regional winners book a spot to the final week of the tournament at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on the campus of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. The quarterfinal round begins the week on Wednesday, December 2 before the semifinals matches are played on Thursday, December 3. The 2026 National Championship match will be contested on Saturday, December 5.  

Preseason Poll

Following a second-place finish and Centennial Conference Tournament Championship appearance a season ago, the Diplomats rank second in the 2026 Centennial Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll, totaling 90 points with three first-place votes. Defending Centennial Conference champions Johns Hopkins lead the way with 97 points and seven first-place votes, while Swarthmore are third with 77 points and one first-place vote. Haverford (73), Gettysburg (70) and Dickinson (57) complete the top-six spots, with the six highest teams earning a spot in the Centennial Conference Volleyball Tournament. The rest of the poll sees Washington College (45) in seventh, Muhlenberg (34) in eighth, Ursinus (31) in ninth, McDaniel (21) in tenth, and Bryn Mawr (10) in 11th. You can view the complete Centennial Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll here.

Record Book Watch (active players in career top 20 in school history)

Mya Anderson

• Attack Percentage: 13th (.273)

• Blocks Per Set: 20th (0.51)

Melissa Benkowitz

• Reception Percentage: 4th (.908)

• Service Attempts: 14th (792)

• Service Aces Per Set: 17th (0.43)

Carly Campbell

• Serve Percentage.: 9th (.897)

• Assists Per Set: 12th (5.12)

• Assists: 13th (953)

Ceci Connolly

• Kills Per Set: 13th (2.77)

• Points Per Set: 18th (3.11)

• Attack Percentage: 19th (.260)

• Blocks Per Set: 19th (0.54)

Emily Dean

• Serve Percentage.: 12th (.895)

• Service Aces Per Set: 14th (0.47)

• Assists Per Set: 17th (0.83)

• Service Attempts: 20th (494)

Paula Elguera

• Serve Percentage: 19th (.878)

Avery Grantham

• Attack Percentage: 6th (.285)

• Blocks Per Set: 10th (0.67)

• Serve Percentage: 20th (.878)

Abby Silinski

• Serve Percentage: 5th (.910)