SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College volleyball team could not overcome an early deficit as they fell to third-seeded Franklin & Marshall College, 3-1, in front of a rowdy Tarble Pavilion on Friday night. The Garnet stormed back after dropping the first two sets, but narrowly dropped the fourth set to fall to the Diplomats.

Kaylee Zhang led the way with 15 kills, while Trisha Razdan added nine kills for the Garnet attack. On the defensive side, Zindzhi Montgomery had a game-high five blocks, while Zhang added a game-high 14 digs. 

Serving was the major difference for Franklin & Marshall as the Diplomats had a 13-3 advantage on service aces. The Diplomats also held a 52-40 advantage in kills.



HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Garnet kept things close early in the opening set. Zhang built some early momentum with a kill as the Garnet pulled within two points of the Diplomats, 9-7. However, Franklin & Marshall turned the set around with 10-unanswered points to take a comfortable 20-8 advantage over the home Garnet. A kill from Montgomery sparked three-straight Swarthmore points, but the Garnet were unable to turn things around as they dropped the first set, 25-13.

- Swarthmore fell ebhind early once more in the second set as they let the Diplomats jump out to a 9-4 advantage. Razdan slowed down momentum with a much-needed kill as the Garnet put together a 4-2 run to cut its deficit to three points. After the Diplomats countered with four-unanswered points, Swarthmore punched back with five-straight points of their own. Zhang capped off the run with a kill, which sparked a huge reaction from the home crowd and pulled the Garnet within two points. However, Swarthmore was unable to overtake the Diplomats as they used its early lead to cruise to a second set victory, 25-17.

- The Diplomats opened the third set with another early run as they jumped out to a 12-6 lead. With their backs against the wall, the Garnet put together a 7-2 run to pull within one point. Zhang had two kills during the crucial stretch, while Angelina Heminway also recorded a kill. Swarthmore took its first lead on a Hannah Humphreys kill to take a 17-16 advantage. The Diplomats would eventually regain the lead until a Razdan kill sparked a 5-1 Garnet rally, which propelled the team to a set win, 25-23.

- Franklin & Marshall led early once again int he fourth set. The Diplomats jumped out to a 6-2 advantage as they looked to put away the Garnet. However, midway through the set Swarthmore regained momentum with five-straight points to take a 12-10 lead. Chloe Mayhue and Heminway started the rally with consecutive kills and then closed the run with consecutive kills. Swarthmore led by as many as three points, but surrendered four-straight points to trail the Diplomats. Later in the set, Zhang and Dani Pena gave the Garnet a late lead with back-to-back kills, but it wasn't enough as Franklin & Marshall clinched the match with a 27-25 set win.

GARNET LEADERS
Kills: Zhang 15
Aces: Heminway 2
Blocks: Montgomery 4
Assists: Pena 29
Digs: Zhang 14

UP NEXT
The Garnet await their fate as they waits on Monday's NCAA Selection Show. Swarthmore moved up to fourth in the region in this week's poll and hold a 17-8 mark on the season.