LANCASTER, Pa.-- The Elizabethtown women's volleyball team took a short trip over to Franklin & Marshall to open up the 2024 season. The Blue Jays were ultimately swept by the Diplomats. 

Elizabethtown fell to F&M in straight sets; 17-25, 23-25, 21-25. Lucy Stern led the team with 15 digs while Emma Bitner and Lucy Stanek each contributed seven. Stanek also tallied eight kills and Gracie Britten tallied seven and added two block assists. 

Franklin & Marshall jumped out early to a 10-2 lead as they used their serve to their advantage. Elizabethtown began to comeback with three consecutive points. The Diplomats regained momentum as they rattled off 10 straight points to lead, 20-8. F&M took set one, 25-17 following an Etown error. 

The Blue Jays started off strong in set two, leaping to a 6-0 lead. After a Diplomat service error, Etown has doubled their lead to 10-5. After three straight from F&M the set remained close till the end. Sierra Plummer and Savannah Lesley gave the Blue Jays two kills in a row to keep things tight at 18-17. After knotting the set to 20 all, F&M went on to win, 25-23. 

The Diplomats again came out strong jumping to a 15-5 lead. Lesley, Stanek, and Britten kept the score within 10 after contributing kills. To finish off the set the two teams traded points but Etown couldn't get close enough to win the set and ultimately fell, 25-21. 

The Blue Jays are back on the road tomorrow starting at 11AM to face host Arcadia and Eastern Mennonite.