Glassboro, N.J.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (1-0) began the 2026 season with a four-set victory (26-24, 11-25, 25-17, 29-27) at Rowan (0-1) on Tuesday evening.
Ceci Connolly led the Diplomats' attack with 11 kills plus three block assists, while
Melissa Benkowitz totaled ten kills.
Abby Silinski posted a team-best 16 digs and three aces.
Carly Campbell recorded 19 assists, while
Melody Butzer posted 17 assists and two aces in her Diplomats debut.
Mia Mascherino had a team-high four service aces with six kills,
Claire Kelly led the team with four block assists plus three aces.
Mya Anderson hit an efficient .400 with five kills.
The sides could not be separated to begin the first, as Rowan maintained an early 11-9 advantage. The Diplomats countered with a seven-point run that included two aces from Kelly and a pair of Benkowitz-Anderson blocks. The Profs tied things up at 16-16 with five-straight points. After a pair of points from F&M, Rowan scored six of the next seven points to hold a 22-19 lead entering the late stages. Back-to-back kills from
Avery Grantham and Mashcherino tied the site at 23-23. Rowan scored the next point, but F&M closed out the first set with three points in a row, making use of two attack errors from the profs.
Rowan never trailed after scoring the first six points in the second set, winning 25-11. The Profs hit .667 in the set while keeping the Diplomats to -.250. F&M was held to just two kills with six attack errors.
The Diplomats recovered in the third set, hitting .500 en route to winning the game, 25-17. Rowan maintained an early, narrow advantage before the Diplomats scored six-straight points, including back-to-back Kelly-Connolly blocks, for a 13-8 lead. F&M maintained the lead the rest of the way, winning on a kill from Connolly at 25-17.
F&M reached match point twice before earning a 29-27 win in a tightly-contested fourth set. Rowan gained an early 4-1 lead that they preserved through the early moments of the set. Down 13-8, the Diplomats called a timeout and returned from the break with three-straight points to stay in contention. They stayed close entering the end of the set, trailing 24-22. A Mascherino kill began a three-point run to bring things to match point, but a kill and F&M setting error gave Rowan a chance to force a fifth set at 26-25. A Campbell kill and Mascherino ace brought F&M to match point again, but Rowan fought back again with a kill. The Diplomats were able to close out the match this time via a kill from Benkowitz and an ace from Silinski.
The Diplomats continue week one with a trip to Tacoma, Washington for the Puget Sound Premier on Friday, September 4, and Saturday, September 5. They'll face Pacific Lutheran at 2:15 p.m. EDT before facing hosts Puget Sound at 6:30 p.m. F&M faces defending national champions No. 1 Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Wisconsin-River Falls on Saturday.
