Ellie Ezekiel, Franklin & Marshall

Box Score / courtesy of Franklin & Marshall Athletic Communications

LANCASTER, Pa. – In a battle for a Centennial Conference (CC) playoff spot, Franklin & Marshall downed Gettsyburg 3-1 (25-11, 24-26, 25-16, 25-15) in women's volleyball action on Wednesday night at the Mayser Center.

The win brought the Diplomats' record to 16-11, 5-4 CC, as F&M is now tied with the Bullets (19-10, 5-4 CC) in the standings, but own the tiebreaker for the fifth and final playoff spot. 

Gettysburg led the first set early at 5-4, but the Diplomats rattled off seven straight points, capped off by an Ellie Ezekiel kill, to take an 11-5 lead. F&M never let the Bullets get much closer and cruised to the 25-11 first-set win.

The second set was tight midway through with Gettysburg up 13-12. After the Bullets increased their lead to 19-16, the Diplomats scored four straight to take the 20-19 advantage. Gettysburg answered with three straight of its own, taking a slight 22-20 lead.

With the set tied at 24-24, a kill from Laura Bergin and F&M attack error clinched the set at 26-24 to tie the match at 1-1. 

The Diplomats began the third set on a 6-1 run that included two Ezekiel kills. When the Bullets came to within five at 10-5, a 9-3 run gave F&M the 19-8 lead as the Diplomats cruised in the third at 25-16 to take a 2-1 lead.

The fourth set was tied early at 4-4, but a 6-0 run gave F&M a 10-4 advantage. The Diplomats led by as many as 11 points in the set, taking it 25-15 and the match 3-1.

Ezekiel (16 kills, 11 digs) and Caroline Hubbard (39 assists, 11 digs) each recorded a double-double for the Diplomats. Julie Harvey added 12 kills and a solid .444 hitting percentage, while Alyssa Sanchez notched a match-high 22 digs. 

With one CC contest remaining, F&M can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Dickinson on Saturday at 12:00 p.m., as part one of a trimatch hosted by the Diplomats. F&M will battle Cabrini at 4:00 p.m. to finish up the regular season.