By: Marah McHugh, Staff Writer
The Gettysburg College women’s volleyball team won the first two sets but fell to Franklin & Marshall 3-2 Oct. 14 at Bream Gymnasium, dropping to 12-6 and 1-2 in the Centennial Conference.
The Diplomats won 17-25, 13-25, 25-23, 25-17 and 15-10 in front of 98 fans, according to the box score.
The loss was Gettysburg’s second straight, following a 3-1 defeat to Swarthmore on Oct. 10.
Franklin & Marshall improved to 10-6 and 3-0 in the Centennial Conference.
Gettysburg made 11 serve-receive errors to Franklin & Marshall’s six, and the Diplomats recorded 11 service aces to Gettysburg’s six, according to the box score.
Gettysburg led 5-3 in the first set before scoring seven straight points, six of them with Ellen Manke, a junior middle hitter, serving.
Franklin & Marshall committed four attack errors during that run, according to the play-by-play.
Gettysburg won the set 25-17 when Emma Bradshaw, a sophomore outside hitter, recorded the final kill.
Gettysburg led 11-9 in the second set before scoring five straight points, four of them with Kierra Fox, a junior defensive specialist, serving.
The Bullets won the set 25-13 when Franklin & Marshall committed a setting error on the final point.
Franklin & Marshall scored five straight points to take a 10-4 lead in the third set, and Mellisa Benkowitz served two aces during the run.
The teams were tied eight times in the set. Gettysburg led 21-17 before Franklin & Marshall scored four straight points, including two aces by Abby Sillinski.
Gettysburg led 23-22, but Franklin & Marshall scored the final three points to win the set 25-23. Ceci Connolly recorded the final kill.
Franklin & Marshall scored seven straight points to lead 11-3 in the fourth set, six of them with Melody Butzer serving.
Butzer served two aces during the run.
The Diplomats won the set 25-17 as Gettysburg hit .114, according to the box score.
Franklin & Marshall never trailed in the fifth set and hit .733 with 11 kills and no attack errrors.
Erin Gonzalez, a senior outside hitter, and Clare Frarell, a junior outside hitter, led Gettysburg with 13 kills each.
Gonzalez also had 10 digs.
Manke added 10 kills on .400 hitting, and Bradshaw had 10 kills.
Kaitly Hedrich, a freshman setter, had 26 assists, and Halle Feth, a senior setter, had 19.
Nala Shearer, a junior libero, led the Bullets with 21 digs, and Fox had 15.
Gianna Galli, a senior middle hitter, had six blocks, and Ava Grall, a junior outside hitter, had four.
Connolly led Franklin & Marshall with a match-high 22 kills on .476 hitting. Benkowitz had 11 kills, 18 digs and a match-high four aces.
Gettysburg plays at Haverford Oct. 17 at 1 p.m.
