The Muhlenberg volleyball team fell to Centennial Conference opponent Swarthmore, 3-0, in a battle of regionally ranked teams.
 
The Mules (23-5, 7-2 CC) earlier in the day earned a fifth-place standing in the updated NCAA Mid-Atlantic regional rankings, the highest regional ranking in program history. Muhlenberg had previously been ranked sixth in the region. The Garnet (19-6, 7-2 CC) came into the match ninth in the region.
 
The two teams are now tied for second place in the CC standings with Franklin & Marshall and each team has one league match remaining. Muhlenberg clinches a first-round bye in the CC playoffs with a win vs. Washington College on Saturday and either a Swarthmore or Franklin & Marshall loss.
 
Junior Kelly Tornetta registered a double-double in leading Muhlenberg with 13 kills while collecting 11 digs. She now has 349 kills this season, which is the seventh most by a Mule in a season.
 
Junior setter Shannon Hubert finished with 36 assists and 15 digs, passing 900 digs for her career in the process (906). Freshman libero Maya Illovsky led the Mules with 20 digs, running her school freshman record total to 427 and cracking the top-10 for most in a season by a Mule.
 
Sophomore Tara Register also recorded double-digit kills (10) to go with seven digs and two aces. Sophomore Maggie Enestvedt chipped in nine kills and led the team with three blocks.
 
Swarthmore jumped out to an early first-set lead and maintained control in winning 25-17 and opening a 1-0 lead. Muhlenberg again fell behind to start the second stanza but made a 6-1 run to climb back. Enestvedt and junior Erica Schultz combined on a block to bring the Mules within two, and the Mules won the next point on a Swarthmore error to make it 16-15.
 
The Garnet won the next three points, but three Tornetta kills helped keep the Mules within reach. Swarthmore, however, won four of the final five points to take the second stanza, 25-21.
 
Muhlenberg started the third set with a big block from Enestvedt and sophomore Stefanie Mutter and later took a 3-1 lead on a Register kill. Swarthmore came back to take a lead, but Muhlenberg remained resilient, with a 6-1 run capped by a Tornetta kill tying the stanza at 13-13.
 
A Schultz kill later gave the Mules the lead again at 16-15, but the Garnet later tied the score and retook a slim lead. The Mules stayed within two points until Swarthmore won the final two points it needed for a 25-21 set and match win.