Diplomats Rank Fifth in October 19 NCAA Volleyball Mid-Atlantic Region Poll

by Sports Information
10/20/05

LANCASTER, PA – The Franklin & Marshall College women’s volleyball team is ranked fifth in the October 19 NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region Poll for games through October 17.

It marks the highest ranking for Franklin & Marshall (14-4, 7-2 Centennial Conference) in the NCAA Region Poll since the 2000 team finished the year second in the Mid-Atlantic Region and 20th in the nation.

Overall, F&M is 12-3 in the Mid-Atlantic Region this year as the team has defeated Dickinson (3-0 W, 3-0 W), Elizabethtown (3-1 W), Washington (3-0 W), Neumann (3-0 W), Penn State-Altoona (3-0 W), Haverford (3-0 W), Swarthmore (3-0 W), Ursinus (3-1 W), Gettysburg (3-2 W), McDaniel (3-0 W) and Bryn Mawr (3-0 W), while falling to Eastern (3-0 L), Haverford (3-2 L) and Johns Hopkins (3-1 L).

Leading the way this season have been setter Jackie Skibbie (Sr., Darby, PA/Merion Mercy), libero Meghan Godorov (Sr., Orefield, PA/Parkland), outside hitter Margot Phelan (Fr., Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) and middle hitter Susan Taylor (So., The Woodlands, TX/John Cooper).

A member of the September 30, October 11 and October 18 Centennial Conference Honor Rolls, Skibbie has recorded 70 kills, 18 service aces, 163 digs, 15 blocks and a team high 595 assists as she has raised her career totals to 271 kills, 3,009 assists, 106 aces, 936 digs and 47 blocks as she ranks fourth in assists in F&M history behind Sissy Volpi '95 (3,064).

A September 13 CC Honor Roll selection, Phelan is ranked 12th in the nation and leads the Centennial Conference in kills per game with 250 in 54 games for an average of 4.63. In 16 matches, she has 15 assists, 11 service aces, 135 digs, seven solo blocks and six block assists while hitting .299 (250 kills in 595 attempts).

One of the team’s captains with outside hitter Rebecca Zeigler (Sr., Manchester, PA/Northeastern), Godorov was named to the September 6 and October 4 Centennial Conference Honor Rolls as she has 27 assists, 23 service aces and 280 digs to raise her career numbers to 42 assists, 66 aces and an F&M and Centennial Conference record 1,909 digs.

The team leader in blocks with 49, Taylor has recorded 207 kills, seven assists, 10 service aces, 28 digs, 29 solo blocks and 20 block assists as she now has 498 kills, 14 assists, 27 service aces, 87 digs, 73 solo blocks, 67 block assists and 140 blocks in her career.

Juniata (24-1, 11-0 region) is ranked first in the poll, while Eastern (23-3, 15-0 region), Johns Hopkins (19-5, 18-3 region), Lebanon Valley (20-4, 14-3 region), F&M, Salisbury (22-8, 19-6 region), Gettysburg (13-9, 11-4 region) and Moravian (19-8, 17-7 region) round out the top eight teams in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Franklin & Marshall (14-4, 7-2 Centennial Conference) will continue the season on October 21-22 at the Juniata Invitational.

NCAA Division III Volleyball Mid-Atlantic Region Poll (October 19)
1. Juniata
2. Eastern
3. Johns Hopkins
4. Lebanon Valley
5. Franklin & Marshall
6. Salisbury
7. Gettysburg
8. Moravian