Franklin & Marshall College

TACOMA, Wash.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall volleyball team (2-3) was unable to earn a win on the final day of the Puget Sound Premier, falling to defending national champions No. 1 Wisconsin-Oshkosh (4-0) in four sets and Wisconsin-River Falls (3-1) in five sets.

Match One - vs. No. 1 Wisconsin-Oshkosh

The Diplomats took the second set from defending DIII National Champions No. 1 Wisconsin-Oshkosh before falling in four sets (12-25, 25-23, 18-25, 17-25). 

Claire Kelly set a new career high with five service aces. Carly Campbell led the team in both assists (19) and digs (15). Ceci Connolly and Melissa Benkowitz each recorded ten kills. 

F&M was kept to a -0.097 hitting percentage in the first set, falling 25-12. Kelly began the match with a kill, but the Titans efficiently built a modest lead with a 7-1 run. They continued to consistently pull away, reaching an 11-point lead at 16-5 on a four-point run. Another run of six points got them within three points of winning the opening set. F&M scored the next three points before Oshkosh was able to trade points to the end of the set. 

F&M earned the early lead in the second set, opening with a 4-1 run with two aces via Kelly. The Titans slowly reduced the lead, tying things up at 8-8 before the Diplomats countered with a 4-0 run that featured two kills from Benkowitz. Oshkosh scored the next two points followed by a 5-1 run from F&M who now led, 17-11. The Titans again applied pressure with an eight-point rally for a 19-17 lead over the Diplomats.The sides traded serves once, then kills from Anderson and Kelly tied the game at 20-20.Oshkosh posted one kill followed by three-straight F&M points, but the Titans tied the set again at 23-apiece via a kill and ace. F&M scored back-to-back kills from Connolly and Benkowitz to win the set, 25-23.

Oshkosh opened the third set with a 7-2 lead, while F&M closed back within two points at 8-6. Oshkosh scored the next four points, making use of three attack errors, for a 12-6 advantage. They were able to maintain this lead the rest of the way, with the Diplomats closing within four points at 21-17 before losing, 25-18. 

The Diplomats earned an early 5-3 advantage in set four, but Oshkosh soon claimed their first lead of the game on a four-point run. Kills from Kendall Lee and Jillian Surkis on a 4-1 run put F&M back ahead, 9-8, setting up a sequence of the teams traded serves. Kelly would score four points in a row on a kill and three aces, breaking an 11-11 tie for a 15-11 lead. With F&M leading 16-13, the Titans scored five points in a row, utilizing three errors from F&M. The run stopped for one point before Oshkosh closed out the set on seven-straight points. 

Match 2 - vs. Wisconsin-River Falls

The Diplomats dropped their final match of the weekend in a reverse sweep by Wisconsin-River Falls (26-24, 25-19, 20-25, 18-25, 13-15).

Connolly recorded 21 kills, tying a career high, while Benkowitz totaled 15 kills with 12 digs. Maile Lani Sugamura totaled a career-best 28 digs, while Campbell posted 35 assists with 11 digs. Kelly hit .545 with seven kills and two solo blocks, and Mascherino posted nine kills, 12 digs, and a team-high three aces. 

F&M expanded an early lead to 8-4 on a three-point run, but the Falcons would close back in on a 6-2 stretch that tied the game at 12-12. The sides traded serves followed by a three-point Diplomats run with kills from Benkowitz, Grantham, and Mascherino for a 16-13 lead. The teams traded serves several times before River Falls again tied the set on three points in a row at 19-19. F&M scored four straight with three Connolly kills, but the Falcons again tied the set with four points of their own for a 23-23 deadlock. A Connolly kill got F&M to match point, the Falcons tied again with a kill, while the Diplomats closed out the set with a Benkowitz kill and River Falls attack error. 

 Like set one, F&M led in the early moment of the second game, 6-2. Four points in a row from their opponents tied the set at 6-6, and the teams again traded points. With the Falcons leading 10-9, the Diplomats recorded six unanswered points including two kills via Benkowitz. River Falls worked within two points of the lead at 18-16, but the Diplomats scored six of seven points to reach set point. The Falcons fought off two set points before F&M won the set on an attack error.

A 5-0 run for the Falcons put them ahead, 8-3, early in set three. A run of three points with a Benkowitz kill and ace got F&M within three points at 10-7. After trading points, a 5-0 run with two Connolly kills tied the game at 14-14. The Falcons reclaimed a narrow 18-16 lead followed by three points from F&M. The Falcons regained momentum, closing out the set on a 7-1 run that included four-straight kills to end the game.

The sides could not be separated to begin the fourth set, as neither team led by more than one until F&M's 5-1 run for an 11-8 lead. Kelly had two kills during the stretch. A 5-1 run from their opponents put the Falcons ahead by a point. F&M scored three of four points for a 15-14 advantage, but River Falls countered with five-unanswered points. F&M was unable to close in on this 19-15 deficit, as the Falcons forced a fifth set after closing the fourth on a 5-1 run at 25-18. 

River Falls jumped from the start of set five, reaching a 7-2 lead. The sides traded points a few times before a 4-0 Diplomats run tied the game at 9-9. The teams traded serves up to 12-12. At this point, a kill and ace from the Falcons got them to match point. F&M fought this off once on a Connolly kill before a kill from River Falls confirmed the reverse sweep. 

Up Next

F&M plays next when they host the F&M Quad Match on Saturday, September 12. They'll face Penn State Harrisburg at noon and Susquehanna at 2:30 p.m., while Mary Washington will also feature at the invite.