Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Sophomore Nicole Barr (Annapolis, MD/Broadneck) knocked down a team-high of 16 kills and added 11 digs to lead Gettysburg over Centennial Conference (CC) foe Franklin & Marshall 3-0 on Wednesday.
Thanks to the victory over the Diplomats, Gettysburg (19-12, 7-1 CC) can clinch home court advantage for the CC playoffs with wins over Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr on Saturday.
Jessica Cortese (Lancaster, PA/Hempfield) tallied 15 kills and eight digs, while Shannan Smith (Milmont Park, PA/Ridley) collected a team-high 14 digs to hand Franklin & Marshall its first conference loss.
The Bullets never trailed in either of the first two games. In the opener, the Diplomats (25-7, 9-1 CC) pulled within 14-13, but Gettysburg rattled off five unanswered points to extend the lead to 19-13.
A kill from Erin Barkdoll (Dover, PA/Dover) followed three straight Franklin & Marshall points, before a Jayme Massey (Springfield, PA/Merion Mercy Acad.) kill forced the Diplomats to take their second timeout at 24-19.
Lauren Boyd (Millersville, MD/Severna Park) started a 5-0 run with a block and ended the first set with kill for a 1-0 lead.
In game two, Gettysburg tallied eight of the first nine points and never looked back. Behind five kills from Cortese, the Bullets built a 13-5 advantage and led by as many as 12 points on four separate occasions.
After a Michelle Dorsch (Frederick, MD/Thomas Johnson) kill made it 28-19, Franklin & Marshall scored one last point before Cortese knocked down two straight kills to wrap up the second set, 30-20.
The Diplomats took their first lead of the night by winning the first two points of the final game. The Bullets knotted the game at 11, before winning the 17 out of the next 22 points to take a 28-16 lead and cruise to the victory.
Boyd finished the night with 42 assists while Dorsch finished with 10 digs.
Gettysburg returns to action on Saturday for a CC tri-match at Swarthmore with Bryn Mawr. Matches begin at 11 a.m.
Gettysburg d. Franklin & Marshall, 3-0 (30-24, 30-20, 30-21)
Gettysburg Leaders
Kills: Nicole Barr 16, Jessica Cortese 15. Assists: Lauren Boyd 43. Digs: Shannan Smith 14, Barr 11, Michelle Dorsch 10. Service Aces: Five tied with 1. Blocks: Jayme Massey 3, Erin Barkdoll 2, Cortese 2.
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