Gettysburg Heads to F&M for Playoff Opener

Bullets return to the postseason for first time in seven years

Volleyball 11/1/2021 1:54:00 PM

The Gettysburg College volleyball team makes its triumphant return to the postseason and will square off with long-time rival Franklin & Marshall College in the opening round of the Centennial Conference Championship this Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m.          

Match Information

• Teams: Gettysburg (14-8, 6-4 CC) at Franklin & Marshall (15-9, 7-3 CC)
• Date: Nov. 3, 2021
• Time: 7:00 p.m.
• Location: Lancaster, Pa.
• Arena: Mayser Center
• Live Video: https://www.centennialconference.tv/
• Live Stats: https://www.godiplomats.com/sports/w-volley/2021-22/boxscores/20211103_bzhm.xml

Championship Contenders
Johns Hopkins University (27-0, 10-0 CC) claimed the top seed and will host the semifinals and championship on Nov. 6-7 in Goldfarb Gym. The top-ranked Blue Jays have won 62-straight matches and are the defending champions in Division III. The winner of Wednesday’s match between Gettysburg and F&M will draw the Blue Jays in the semifinals. Haverford College (22-4, 9-1 CC) is the No. 2 seed and will meet third-seeded Swarthmore College (13-7, 8-2 CC) in Saturday’s other semifinal.

Gettysburg’s Playoff History
Gettysburg is making its 16th appearance in the conference playoffs and first since dropping a 3-0 decision to Johns Hopkins in 2014. The Bullets have won the tournament seven times and lead the way with 11 conference titles overall. Wednesday’s contest at Franklin & Marshall marks Gettysburg’s fifth appearance in the CC First Round.

All-Time Series
Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall have met 60 times on the volleyball court since the series began in 1976. The Bullets lead the all-time series 38-22, but the Diplomats have won five in a row and 11 of the last 14 contests against Gettysburg. The Orange and Blue have won all seven meetings against the Blue and White in the CC playoffs with the last match up taking place in 2011.

Previous Meeting
Franklin & Marshall rallied past Gettysburg to win a five-set thriller in the Mayser Center on Sept. 29. The Diplomats dominated the Bullets in the first set 25-11, but the visitors rebounded for 26-24 and 25-21 victories. F&M tied up the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth set and broke out with four of the first five points to win the decisive fifth set 15-10. Sophomore Chelsea O’Leary (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) finished just two digs shy of the program record with 41 and junior Zanze Kuba-McCoy (Somerville, N.J./Somerville) posted 15 kills and 18 digs. Franklin & Marshall’s Carly Bozzo matched O’Leary with 41 digs and Hannah McCarthy tallied 36 assists and four aces.

Team Comparison

Season Leaders
Gettysburg

F&M