LANCASTER, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (7-6) concluded the non-conference schedule with a four-set victory (25-12, 25-21, 24-26, 25-17) over visiting Elizabethtown (8-5) on Tuesday evening.

Melissa Benkowitz led the attack with 19 kills and a .245 hitting percentage plus a team-best four aces with 11 digs. Avery Grantham and Mia Mascherino each chipped in ten kills plus a couple of block assists, while Grantham added one solo block.Gretchen Eichelzer hit an efficient .500 with a career-high eight kills plus three service aces and two block assists. Jillian Surkis swung .455 with six kills. Chloe Wiedman led the side with 25 digs to mark a new career-high, while Carly Campbell recorded 37 assists and a tie for a career best in digs with 16. Melody Butzer assisted 11 kills with three service aces.

The Diplomats were close to perfect in attack in the opening set, hitting .667 with 15 kills and one attack error in a 25-12 win to the first game. The sides struggled to start, combining for three service errors by the time of a 4-4 scoreline. F&M's first big run of the set saw them claim seven of eight points on a run where Eichelzer had two aces and one kill plus a block assist. Etown slowed things down with a 3-2 stretch, but F&M countered with seven unanswered points including a pair of kills from both Benkowitz and Grantham. Leading 19-8 at this stage, F&M dropped three of four points followed by a 3-0 run to get within two points of the set. A service error stopped the run for one point, as Eichelzer concluded the game with back-to-back kills. 

Neither side led by more than four points in a back-and-forth second set that was eventually claimed by F&M at 25-21. Etown drew the early advantage at 4-2 thanks to three kills, while F&M claimed the lead at 7-6 with a 5-2 run lead by two kills from Surkis.The sides traded serves up to a 9-9 scoreline, followed by F&M claiming three of four points. The Blue Jays fought back with a 4-0 run, reclaiming a 14-12 advantage. Yet again though, the trailing team fought back, as F&M soon tied the game at 15-15. The sides then traded 3-0 runs up to an 18-18 deadlock. Soon level at 20-20, F&M scored four points in a run with an ace and kill from Mascherino to reach set point. The Blue Jays survived one set point before Benkowitz concluded the game with a kill.

The Blue Jays forced a fourth set with a 26-24 win in the third game, as F&M's attack struggled to a 0.068 hitting percentage with 13 errors. F&M opened the set with a 3-0 run countered by three-straight points from their opponents. A Grantham kill was then followed by seven-consecutive points from the Blue Jays to put F&M behind, 9-4. F&M consistently worked into the deficit, claiming six of the next eight points including a kill and service ace from Benkowitz to trail, 11-10. Etown was able to again build a lead, scoring five of the next six points. Again though, the Diplomats were able to erase the deficit, scoring seven of nine points, including three kills from Mascherino, for a 18-18 tie. F&M was able to outscore Etown 6-4 over the next phase to reach set point at 24-22, but the Blue Jays were able to claim four-straight points on a block error and three Diplomats attack errors to win the set.

F&M's attack recovered with a .279 hitting percentage in the match-clinching fourth set, winning 25-17. The sides again traded points to open a set, with neither team leading by more than a point up to a 5-5 tie. Etown scored three of four points, but F&M answered with four kills from four different Diplomats for a 10-8 lead. The Blue Jays earned the lead back with a 3-0 run, but F&M again countered was seven-straight points that included a pair of kills from Benkowitz and 1.5 blocks from Grantham. Etown closed the 17-11 gap with a 5-3 run, but F&M soon reached set point at 24-17 followed by a match-ending ace from Lina Thompson.

F&M concludes the 13-game non-conference slate with a 7-6 record heading into the ten-match Centennial Conference schedule. Their first in-conference test is a trip to Haverford on Saturday, October 3, at 1 p.m.