Game Notes

Last Time Out

Franklin & Marshall pushed to a 5-0 Centennial Conference start with a pair of straight-set sweeps last week at home to Dickinson on Wednesday and Bryn Mawr on Saturday. Coco Shultz earned Centennial Conference Defensive Athlete of the Week honors after posting 16 digs, two block assists, a .333 hitting percentage with 19 kills, three assists, and one ace across the two matches. She led the team in digs (13) and kills (12) in the match against Dickinson. Emily Dean had five aces in the win over Bryn Mawr, a new single-match career high. The Diplomats moved to 15-3 overall last week and have totaled 11 matches where they've won in three sets. The Diplomats received votes in the AVCA Division III poll for the fifth consecutive week.

Last Time vs. (RV) Gettysburg

Franklin & Marshall went to five sets against the Bullets last season but were outmatched 10-15 in the fifth set of last year's Centennial Conference semifinal. Gianna Mangiamele had a team-high 17 kills and was one of four players with over ten kills. Coco Shultz had 17 digs, and Liah Perez posted 26 assists. The Bullets won set one 25-18 with a 10-2 run in the middle of the set proving key. The Diplomats took sets two and three in the match, using a 5-0 run late in the second set to win 25-17. In set three, they were losing 9-12 and utilized an 8-0 run to consistently push to a 25-20 win. They were unable to lead in a tight fourth set. In set five, The Diplomats were ahead 9-6 but used a 5-0 run and another 4-0 run to complete the comeback.

Last Time vs. DeSales

The Diplomats played their fourth match of the 2023 season when they traveled to DeSales for a sweep of the Bulldogs 25-19, 25-18, 25-13. It was the first meeting of the teams since 2009. Liah Perez had 22 assists, while Coco Shultz led the side with nine kills. The Bulldogs stayed close in set one with the Diplomats ahead just 17-15, but a 6-0 run but F&M in control. F&M broke ahead 9-3 in the second set and continued to pull away at a consistent clip. The Diplomats used a 9-1 run with the match level at 5-5 to secure the match.

(RV) Gettysburg Preview

The (RV) Bullets (16-2, 2-1 CC) split results last week with a straight-set loss to #3 Johns Hopkins on Wednesday evening and a 3-1 win against Haverford on the road on Saturday. The loss to Johns Hopkins was the first time Gettysburg was swept in 2023. Erin Gonzalez posted seven digs, two kills, and a block. Against Haverford, Gettysburg earned the first two sets before stalling denying a Haverford comeback in a 26-24 fourth set. Clare Farrell marked a first career double-double with 14 kills and ten digs, one of four players with at least ten kills. Gonzalez, Catherine Holtz, and Alycen Radolovic each had ten kills. Nala Shearer had 21 digs, five assists, and an ace. Mary Huegel has the Centennial Conference's fourth-best hitting percentage (.333) and the second-most blocks per set (1.18). Radolovic is fifth in kills per set (2.89), while Shearer is sixth in digs per set (3.52). 

DeSales Preview

The Bulldogs (7-11, 3-0 MAC Freedom) continued their perfect conference start last week with a straight-set sweep over King's (Pa.) on Wednesday night, the lone match of the week. The Bulldogs won the sets 25-16, 25-17, 25-18, hitting .343 in set one and .344 in set two. Allison Reimer posted nine kills with a .429 hitting percentage and four digs. Mackenzie Fox had seven kills and a .438 hitting percentage. Grace Pfaff posted 12 digs, while Vede Doxzen assisted 18 times with six digs. DeSales will host Delaware Valley on Tuesday and Swarthmore College on Friday ahead of Saturday's match against the Diplomats in Lancaster.

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Hitting Percentage
2. Avery Grantham (.355)
8. Mya Anderson (.302)
10. Gianna Mangiamele (.291)

Assists/set
3. Liah Perez (5.60)
6. Carly Campbell (5.31)

Service Aces/set
7. Melissa Benkowitz (0.60)

Blocks/set
8. Avery Grantham (0.78)

Points/set
7. Coco Shultz (3.24)