Five-Star Matchups

Lancaster is the place to be on Wednesday as five of our nine featured games take place on the Franklin & Marshall campus. The women's lacrosse game between the Diplomats and Gettysburg will determine the top seed for next week's championship tournament, while the other eight games have playoff implications.

Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall (Women's Lacrosse)
The Conference's best rivalry takes center stage on Wednesday night as the sixth-ranked Bullets (7-0 CC, 12-2) and seventh-ranked Diplomats (7-0, 13-2) meet with first place on the line. This is the 49th meeting between the two schools with F&M holding a 25-22-1 advantage, including wins in eight of the last nine contests. Gettysburg's last win in Lancaster was in the 2005 Centennial title game (11-9). This will be the 13th consecutive game in the series in which both the Bullets and Diplomats are ranked in the national top 10. The top two goalkeepers in the CC will play a major role tonight as Gettysburg's Maddie Coleman has a 58.6 save percentage, while F&M's Kelsey Hoffman has a 6.72 goals-against average.

Ursinus at Haverford (Women's Lacrosse)
While first place is on the line in Lancaster, a first-round tournament bye could be up for grabs when the Bears (4-3, 6-8) and the Fords (5-2, 9-5) square off on the Main Line. Ursinus has a 16-1 advantage in the series since 1994, but Haverford's only win came in the last meeting at Swan Field in 2009 (18-16). The Fords' Josie Ferri is the third-leading scorer in the Conference with 45-20-65, while the Bears' Alyssa Thren is one of five 40-goal scorers in the CC (40-5-45).

Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall (Men's Lacrosse)
Two teams fighting for their playoff lives meet in Lancaster as the 20th ranked Bullets (4-2, 8-5) visit the Diplomats (3-3, 8-4). A victory would clinch a playoff berth for Gettysburg, while a win would bolster F&M's hopes for its first CC playoff bid since 2005. It is the 54th time that the two schools have met with Gettysburg holding a 33-20 advantage, including victories in seven of the last eight games. The Diplomats' last win was an 11-9 home win in 2008. Gettysburg leads the Centennial in scoring defense (6.73), led by GK J.T. McCook. F&M is second in scoring offense (9.92), led by Billy Kempner (23-15-38).

Haverford at Ursinus (Men's Lacrosse)
Another tussle for playoff positioning takes place in Collegeville as the 12th ranked Fords (4-2, 9-3) take on the Bears (3-3, 8-4). Haverford has won six straight in the series and holds an 8-1 all-time lead. Ursinus' only win was a 10-9 triumph on the Main Line in 2004. The teams have two of the stingiest defenses in the Conference, as the Fords and Bears allow just 6.91 and 6.92 goals-against per game, respectively. Ursinus M Jeff Ocampo leads the Centennial with 32 goals, while Haverford GK Joe Banno has turned away a CC-best 66.8 percent of shots on net.

Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall (Softball)
It could almost be described as a playoff doubleheader as the Bullets (6-6, 16-14) travel to Amish Country to take on the Diplomats (6-5, 20-10-1). Neither team can really afford a loss and a sweep could be devastating to tournament hopes. The teams are 1-2 in the CC in batting average with F&M hitting .350 and Gettysburg .326. The Diplomats' Malorie Sassaman leads the Conference at .477, while the Bullets' Maggie Maguire has a Centennial-best seven round-trippers.

Haverford at Franklin & Marshall (Baseball)
The first-place Fords (11-3, 26-5) travel to take on the third-place Diplomats (10-4, 18-13) in the first of a two-game weekday set. It is the 70th time that the teams have met on the diamond with F&M holding a 46-22-1 advantage in the series. Haverford has taken the last two tilts at Kaplan Field, winning 12-10 in 2009 and 5-4 a year ago. The Fords lead the Centennial with a 3.29 team ERA, while SS Charlie Carluccio tops the circuit with a .411 batting average. Diplomat counterpart Matt Will leads his club with a .386 average. Probables: Dan Hochberg (3-0, 3.71) for the Fords and Mike Duranti (4-2, 3.35) for the Diplomats.

Washington College at Johns Hopkins (Baseball)
The Blue Jays (11-3, 18-11), tied for first place with Haverford, will have a major say on the playoff picture over the next week and begin today against the Shoremen (7-7, 16-14). Not only will Hopkins battle the Fords and F&M for the top seed in next weekend's tournament, JHU also closes the season with a single game against Washington and a twinbill vs. Muhlenberg - two teams battling Swarthmore for the final playoff spot. The Jays have won 12 straight against the Shoremen and hold a 75-32 all-time edge in the series that started in 1887. Washington's last win was a 15-5 triumph in 2005 in Chestertown, while the Chestertown nine has not returned home victorious from Baltimore since 1997 (9-5). Hopkins C Joe Borrelli is the reigning CC Player of the Week. Probables: Joe Kearney-Argow (3-3, 5.74) for the Shoremen and Kevin Gillen (3-0, 4.67) for the Jays.

Washington College at Swarthmore (Men's Tennis)
It's a critical match for playoff seeding when the Shoremen (5-2, 9-5) visit the banks of Crum Creek to take on the Garnet (6-1, 10-6). A Swarthmore victory could lock up a first-round tournament bye, while a Washington win would secure a playoff berth. The Shoremen's Adam Cranford is fourth in the CC with 13 singles wins (13-4) on the year, while the Garnet's No. 3 doubles team of Anthony Collard and Seth Udelson is fourth among all CC tandems with a 77.8 winning percentage (7-2).

Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall (Men's Tennis)
Simply put, this is a playoff match for the Bullets (3-4, 10-4) who must win to keep their flickering tournament hopes alive. A Gettysburg loss and the five CC playoff teams are set and the Diplomats (5-2, 9-5) remain in the hunt for a first-round bye. The match at No. 1 singles between the Bullets' Chris Curran (9-8) and the Dips' Ross Silverberg (13-4) could go a long way to determining the outcome of the match.

Five-Star Matchups

Tennis takes center stage this weekend in the Conference, as the top seed for the Centennial championship tournament is on the line.

Johns Hopkins at Haverford (Men's Tennis)
The 12th ranked Blue Jays (5-0 CC, 10-3) bring their 43-match Centennial win streak to the Main Line to take on the Fords (5-0, 7-5). Hopkins' Andrew Wang (10-5), ranked 39th nationally, could meet Haverford's Kevin Caulfield (8-3) at No. 1 singles in the premier match.

Johns Hopkins at Washington College (Women's Tennis)
The Blue Jays (6-0, 9-1) and the Shorewomen (6-0, 11-0) battle for first place in the Centennial in Chestertown. The tone of the match could be set at No. 1 doubles, as Hopkins' Hailey Hogan and Nandita Krishnan (7-1) meet Washington's Jordan Finnegan and Brittany Marshall (13-1). Hogan and Krishnan defeated the #2 doubles team in the region from Carnegie Mellon in their last match. Finnegan and Marshall are 32-2 in their last 34 matches.

Johns Hopkins at Swarthmore (Baseball)
The first-place Blue Jays (6-1, 13-8) look to protect their one-game lead at the top of the CC standings when they visit the Garnet (4-3, 13-8). The two teams have met 107 times with Hopkins winning 21 straight to take a 69-38 overall lead in the series. Swarthmore's last win was a 6-3 triumph in the opener of a 2000 home doubleheader. JHU is ranked 24th in the latest d3baseball.com/NCBWA poll. Two of the Conference's top pitchers in ERA will meet on the mound - Hopkins' Alex Eliopoulos (4-1, 1.65) and Swat's Ignacio Rodriguez (3-1, 2.32).

Gettysburg at Ursinus (Softball)
The Bullets (3-1, 13-9) and the Bears (3-2, 10-10) meet in a twinbill that could have significance on the playoff chase. Gettysburg is second in the CC in batting with a .339 average, led by Sam Bader who is hitting at a .488 clip. Ursinus is second in the Centennial in team ERA (2.27), paced by Jennilyn Weber's 0.79.

Gettysburg at Ursinus (Women's Lacrosse)
The Bears' "Hell Week" continues as sixth-ranked Gettysburg (5-0, 8-2) comes to town. Ursinus (4-1, 6-5) gave seventh-ranked Franklin & Marshall all it wanted on Wednesday before falling, 11-9, but now looks to break a 13-game losing streak to the Bullets. The Bears' last home win was an 11-7 triumph in 2001. Gettysburg's Lindsey Robinson is fourth in the CC in scoring (26-18-44) while UC's Alyssa Thren is second in goals with 35.

Five-Star Matchups

Dickinson at Gettysburg (Men's Lacrosse)
The Route 34 rivalry takes on even greater importance this afternoon as the ninth-ranked Red Devils (3-0 CC, 9-1) look to strengthen their hold on first place in the CC against the Bullets (2-1, 6-4). It is the 50th meeting between the two schools that are separated by just 28 miles with Gettysburg holding a 43-6 all-time lead. Dickinson's last win in the series was at the Battlefield in 1975 (10-5) - a stretch of 36 games. It's a battle between the highest-scoring team in the CC - Dickinson (11.5) - and the stingiest defense - Gettysburg (6.75).

Ursinus at Franklin & Marshall (Women's Lacrosse)
Two of the three unbeatens in the Conference square off in Lancaster with a share of first place in the CC on the line. The four-time defending champion Diplomats (4-0, 10-1) are ranked seventh nationally, while the Bears (4-0, 6-4) are unbeaten in their first four Centennial games for the first time since 2002. F&M has won nine straight games vs. Ursinus but still trails in the all-time series, 26-13-1. The Bears' last win was a 13-7 triumph in the 2002 Centennial semifinals. Ironically, the two current head coaches - F&M's Lauren Paul '03 and Ursinus' Erin Stroble '02 - squared off in that 2002 game in the uniforms of their alma maters on their way to first-team All-Centennial honors that spring.

Johns Hopkins at Franklin & Marshall (Men's Tennis)
The 12th ranked Blue Jays (4-0, 9-3) bring their 42-match Centennial unbeaten streak to Lancaster to take on the Diplomats (2-0, 6-3). JHU has not lost a Conference match since a 5-2 defeat at Washington College on April 20, 2006. Hopkins has won six straight in the series that began in 1927 but F&M holds a 28-14 all-time advantage. The tone of the match could be set at #1 doubles, as Hopkins' Jacob Barnaby and Casey Blythe (9-0) meet F&M's William MacArthur and Ross Silverberg (5-1).

Five-Star Matchups

No kidding around as we enter the first weekend of April with games that will impact the playoff chase at the end of the month.

Haverford at Dickinson (Men's Lacrosse)
One of the most anticipated games of the season takes place in Carlisle between the ninth ranked Fords (2-1 CC, 7-2) and the 11th ranked Red Devils (2-0, 8-1). It is the 40th time that the two schools have met with Haverford holding a 24-15 series advantage, including wins in the last two meetings. Expect a close game, as five of the last seven contests have been decided by two or fewer goals, including a 12-11 overtime win by the Fords in the 2010 CC semifinals. Devil first-year Brian Cannon leads the Centennial in scoring (22-21-43), while Haverford netminder Joe Banno tops the Conference in save percentage (.650).

Haverford at Dickinson (Men's Tennis)
The Fords (3-0, 3-5) bring their unbeaten Conference record to Carlisle to take on the Red Devils (2-1, 6-3), whose lone loss came at the hands of nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins. The match could be determined at No. 1 singles, as Haverford's Kevin Caulfield (7-2), ranked 12th regionally, takes on Dickinson's Ross Anstaett (11-3)

Johns Hopkins at Franklin & Marshall (Baseball)
The Blue Jays (3-0, 10-6), the lone unbeaten in the Conference entering Friday's play, travel to Lancaster to take on the second-place Diplomats (2-1, 10-10). Hopkins is second in the Centennial with a 3.78 team ERA and are slated to throw Sam Eagleson and Alex Eliopoulos (4-1, 1.35). F&M's Eric Bornstein is 10th in the CC with a .393 batting average. This is the 82nd and 83rd times that the schools have met since 1889 with JHU holding a 51-29-1 series lead, including wins in the last eight games.

New Jersey at Gettysburg
Gettysburg at Swarthmore (Women's Lacrosse)
The Bullets (3-0, 6-1) face two major challenges on back-to-back days this weekend, taking on the top-ranked Lions on Friday and the resurgent Garnet (2-1, 6-2) on Saturday. Gettysburg has played the #1 team in the country six times since 2004 but has yet to come away with a victory. The Bullets have won 16 straight games against Swarthmore since a 12-7 defeat in 1994 at the Battlefield and hold a 21-3 all-time series advantage. The Garnet's Annalise Penikis leads all Centennial players with 34 goals, 18 assists, 52 points and 29 draw controls, while Gettysburg's Lindsey Robinson has 16-15-31 to place sixth in the CC in scoring. 'Burg's Becky Lutz, who leads the Conference in caused turnovers (25), should draw the defensive assignment on Penikis.

Muhlenberg at Washington College (Softball)
Two of the top teams in the Conference square off in Chestertown in a twinbill. The Mules (2-0, 11-8) are the lone remaining CC unbeaten, while the Shorewomen (3-1, 11-9) are a game off the pace in the Centennial standings. Ashley Brewer is a dual threat for 'Berg with a .433 average at the dish and a 5-3 record with a 2.50 ERA on the mound. Lauren Dockrill leads Washington with a .468 average - good for fourth in the Conference.

Muhlenberg at Washington College (Women's Tennis)
The unbeaten Shorewomen (4-0, 9-0) face a major challenge to their unblemished record when the Mules (3-1, 5-2) come calling on Saturday. Washington's lineup has a powerful 1-2-3 at the top of the ladder in Amanda Bercovici (12-1), Jordan Finnegan (10-1) and Brittany Marshall (10-1), while Muhlenberg's counters with Caitie Druker (5-2) and Sara Sutker (6-1) at the top two spots.