LANCASTER, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (4-3) earned wins in both of their matches in Saturday's F&M Quad Meet, defeating Penn State Harrisburg (3-2) in four sets before sweeping Susquehanna (1-4).
Match One - vs. Penn State Harrisburg
The Diplomats won the first two sets before bouncing back convincingly from a set-three loss, keeping the Lions to a match-low 0.074 in the fourth set to earn the team's first win (25-23, 25-18, 20-25, 25-11) of the day.
Melissa Benkowitz led the team with 17 kills and five service aces, while she contributed 14 digs.
Ceci Connolly registered ten kills, while
Jillian Surkis and
Mia Mascherino contributed seven kills. Mascherino also totaled four aces and 13 digs.
Chloe Wiedman had a team-best 16 digs, while
Carly Campbell recorded 28 assists, four aces, and ten digs.
Mya Anderson had two solo blocks and six kills.
An early 3-0 run with two Benkowitz aces put F&M ahead, 3-1, and that allowed the team to maintain a narrow advantage as the sides traded serves early. After tying the lead a couple of times, Harrisburg scored three in a row to take a 10-8 advantage. The Diplomats earned three of the next four points to tie the set, while a later 4-0 run with three Surkis kills canceled out a two-point deficit to give the hosts a 16-14 lead.They pushed their lead to 19-15 before a 5-1 Lions run tied the set again at 20-apiece. F&M struck back with a 4-0 run that included two kills and a solo block from Connolly to reach set point. The Lions fought off three set points before a Campbell kill ended the first set.
After trading points to begin set two, F&M made use of four-consecutive attack errors for their opponents to lead, 7-4. They maintained a 9-6 lead ahead of a critical 9-2 run where seven different Diplomats contributed via kills and aces. Leading 17-8, F&M maintained the pace for a spell before Harrisburg closed within five points on a four-point run. The Diplomats responded to this with a 3-0 run to reach set point at 24-16. Yet again, the Lions fought off a couple of set points, but a Benkowitz kill won the set at 25-18.
The Diplomats opened the third set with an early 6-2 advantage, but the Lions picked up momentum with a consistent 7-3 run that tied things up at 9-9. The middle of the set was dominated by the Diplomats, as they scored seven of the next nine points including two kills from Benkowitz. Again, however, the Lions drew level at 18-18 with a 9-2 rally. After trading points to 20-each, Harrisburg concluded the set with a five-point run that included four attack errors from F&M.
Set four was contested in the early moments. While F&M led 4-2 to begin the set, the Lions worked back to a 7-7 draw. The Diplomats broke this deadlock by scoring the next nine points in a run that included three kills from Benkowitz, two aces from Mascherino, and two kills via Anderson. F&M continued to consistently pull away, outscoring the Lions 9-4 in the remaining time, ending the match on an ace from Benkowitz. F&M hit a match-best .379 in the fourth set after struggling to a -0.024 hitting percentage in the set prior.
Match Two - vs. Susquehanna
F&M hit .290, including a .550 opening set, in their sweep of Susquehanna (25-11, 25-17, 25-23). Benkowitz again led the team in kills with nine with a .421 hitting percentage, while she contributed five digs and two aces.
Maile Lani Sugamura and Mascherino each had four aces, while Mascherino had a team-high seven digs and Sugamura contributed six. Mascherino and
Avery Grantham recorded seven kills (.357), while
Gretchen Eichelzer swung .571 with four kills.
Lily Harmon and
Melody Butzer primarily split setting duties, as Butzer registered 13 assists and six digs while Harmon chipped in 12 assists, three aces, and six digs.
A 4-0 run gave F&M an early 4-1 lead, but the River Hawks drew level on a 3-0 run. This set up a 4-2 run for Susquehanna, although their lead soon faded on a 14-1 run with three kills from Grantham, two aces from Sugamura, and two kills from Benkowitz. Leading 20-9 at this stage, F&M closed out set one on a 5-0 run where Grantham had back-to-back aces.
F&M scored the first three points in the second set before pushing their advantage to 7-2. Susquehanna scored the next two points, but this was countered by a 6-0 Diplomats scoring run with two Mascherino. With a 13-4 lead, F&M traded serves up to 17-7 before facing some pressure from a 5-0 run from their opponents. The sides traded points over the next phase of play, but F&M reached set point with a 24-15 lead. The River Hawks survived two set points before the Diplomats made use of a service error to close out the set.
Susquehanna drew an early 5-3 lead, but F&M reclaimed control by scoring the next three points. F&M pushed their lead to 9-7 before conceding the next five points. That began a 9-2 run for the River Hawks who led in the middle of the set, 16-11. F&M rallied back with a 6-1 that included two aces from Harmon, drawing level at 17-17. Susquehanna scored two points, but F&M countered with three points of their own. The sides traded serves up to 21-21 before a 3-0 F&M run put the Diplomats at match point at 24-21. Susquehanna survived two match points before Benkowitz wrapped things up with a kill.
Up Next
The Diplomats travel to Arlington, Va. to face Marymount on Tuesday, September 15, at 7:00 p.m.
