LANCASTER, Pa. – With just one senior graduating from its run to the Centennial Conference Championship match a season ago, the Franklin & Marshall volleyball team is preparing for another strong campaign during the 2023 season. The Diplomats have made 14 consecutive appearances in the Centennial Conference Tournament, which is the longest active streak in the conference. F&M finished third in the Centennial Conference regular season standings last year and avenged one of its regular season defeats against Swarthmore during the conference semifinals as the team advanced to its second championship match in three seasons.
2023 Diplomats
Roster | Schedule | Coaching Staff | Watch Live (home games)
The Diplomats went 18-9 (8-2 CC) during the 2022 season en route to the playoffs. That included a sweep of Muhlenberg and 3-1 win against Swarthmore in the conference tournament before falling just one match short of the NCAA Tournament following a 3-1 defeat at the hands of top-seeded Johns Hopkins.
With only the graduation of last year's team captain Annamarie Early, the Diplomats look poised to build on that success during the coming fall. The experienced group of returners features six seniors, five juniors, and two sophomores, with five first-years are set to make their debut inside the Mayser Center.
Three All-Centennial Conference performers return to the team, including 2022 All-American Gianna Mangiamele who hit .326 during her sophomore season while registering 271 kills. Her attack percentage was the 14th-highest in a single season in F&M history. The junior was joined in the offensive ranks by first-team All-CC performer Sydney Levins who registered 266 kills and currently ranks 14th in program history with 2.57 kills per set heading into her senior season.
Senior Meredith Mangum was named the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year after registering 437 digs from her libero position in addition racking up 33 service aces. Mangum currently ranks second in school history in both reception (.926) and service (.925) percentage, while her 3.58 digs per set are the eighth most in school history. She will serve as a co-captain alongside senior Lauren Arnold and junior Justine Amory. Amory totaled 27 kills and nine blocks last season, with Arnold adding 90 kills and 60 blocks to the team's 2022 efforts.
Hannah McCarthy, Makenna Penuel, and Jada West also return as experienced leaders for their senior campaigns. McCarthy played in 95 sets last season, dishing out 435 assists to give her 727 for her career through just 44 matches. Penuel contributed in multiple facets during her 21 matches played, adding 61 kills, 26 blocks, and 11 service aces to the team's winning ways. West is currently F&M's all-time leader with 0.88 blocks per set during her career and already ranks 15th in school history 151 total blocks through just two playing seasons.
Rei Baker, Bella Ganfield, and Mikayla Smith round out the junior class. Smith has 201 digs through her first two seasons and owns the third-highest service reception rate in program history (.921). Ganfield has recorded 102 digs through her first 31 career matches and maintains an .836 reception percentage. Rei Baker heads into her junior season healthy after playing in 12 matches during her rookie campaign.
Liah Perez and Coco Schultz were both solid contributors from the moment they stepped on campus and will enter their sophomore seasons this fall. Perez split the setting duties with McCarthy, handing out 474 assists as a rookie to already rank 15th in school history for that category. Schultz added 222 kills and 236 digs to her strong rookie season. Her .935 serve reception percentage is currently the top mark in school history and the third-best single season mark.
Welcome to the F&Mily
Emily Dean and Maile Sugamura both join the Diplomats from the state of Washington while first-years Mya Anderson and Melissa Benkowitz come to Lancaster from North Carolina. Paula Elguera joins the team from Maryland.
The Road Ahead
The Diplomats begin the season with an immediate test as they take on a Carnegie Mellon squad who is currently receiving votes in the national poll to start their home tournament during the opening weekend. F&M also plays preseason No. 4 NYU and No. 2 Trinity (Texas) who were both in the Final Four a season ago. That trip to Texas during the middle of September will certainly be a highlight of the season as the team additionally takes on Whittier and Pomona-Pitzer during its trip to the Lonestar State. Centennial Conference play begins on September 30. No. 9 Johns Hopkins and Swarthmore (receiving votes) are both currently represented in the AVCA preseason poll.
Career Record Book Watch (active players in career top 10 all-time)
Lauren Arnold
- Blocks per set (0.72) – seventh
Gianna Mangiamele
- Attack percentage (.276) – ninth
Meredith Mangum
- eception percentage (.926) – second
- Serve percentage (.925) – second
- Digs per set (3.58) – eighth
Mikayla Smith
- Reception percentage (.921)
Jada West
- Blocks per set (0.88) – first
Postseason
The Centennial Conference will once again take six teams into its playoff bracket, with the top two teams from the regular season standings both receiving first round byes into the semifinals. The Centennial Conference Tournament gets underway on Wednesday, November 8 with two first round games. The Centennial Conference Tournament Champions will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament which gets started on Thursday, November 16.
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