Box Score FLORENCE, SC – Junior Jessica Imbimbo registered a double-double with 15 kills and a career-high 24 digs to lead Francis Marion University to a four-set win (27-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-18) over USC Aiken, Saturday afternoon (Nov. 3) in Peach Belt Conference volleyball action.
Francis Marion improves to 17-10 overall and 5-7, while snapping a six-game skid against the Pacers that dated back to the 2010 season. USCA falls to 17-10 and 6-5.
FMU will close out its regular-season schedule with a pair of PBC road matches this week: at Augusta State University on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and at the University of Montavello on Friday at 8 p.m. (Eastern Time).
Imbimbo posted her kill total with a .364 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Megan Mooney added nine kills and five blocks, while junior setter Kailey Smith tallied her second double-double in as many days with 40 assists and 11 digs. Smith also served four aces.
FMU senior outside hitter Liz Drewry, playing her final home match in the Smith University Center, recorded eight kills, 12 digs, and three blocks. Freshman Alexzandra Reed had eight kills and sophomore libero Rebekah Davis dug up 19 balls.
Senior Shannon Byers and freshman Ashley Diedrich led USCA with 11 kills apiece. Diedrich also had 19 digs, while sophomore setter Sheila Walsh dished out a team-high 20 assists.
In the opening set, FMU fought off a pair of set-points to rally from a 24-22 deficit. A kill by Smith and an attacking error by the Pacers broke a 25-25 deadlock and gave the Patriots the early 1-0 advantage. The score was tied at 18-18 in the second set when a pair of errors by Francis Marion allowed USCA to move ahead 20-18 and to an eventual 25-21 victory.
In set three, again late heroics paved the way for a Patriot win. A kill by Imbimbo snapped a 23-23 tie and Davis finished the set with a service ace. A 5-0 run behind the serving of Mooney in set four allowed the Patriots to erase a 5-4 deficit. That spurt eventually became a 13-4 sequence as Smith served six times, including a pair of aces. The resulting 17-9 advantage proved too much for the Pacers to overcome.
Francis Marion Univ. def. USC Aiken 27-25,21-25,25-23,25-18
USC Aiken (17-10, 6-5 PBC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Ashley Diedrich
11-1-1; Shannon Byers 11-0-0; Hannah Tierney 9-2-2; Endea Ellison
7-0-1; Claire Patten 3-1-0; Leah Rodgers 2-0-0; Danika Maggard 2-0-1;
Samantha Lukralle 1-1-0; Sheila Walsh 0-1-0; Alex Petock 0-0-2; Totals
46-6-4.0. (Assists) - Sheila Walsh 20; Alex Petock 17. (Dig leaders) -
Ashley Diedrich 19; Shannon Byers 12; Samantha Lukralle 12; Claire
Patten 11
Francis Marion Univ. (17-10, 5-7 PBC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Jessica
Imbimbo 15-0-1; Megan Mooney 9-2-5; Alexzandra Reed 8-0-3; Liz Drewry
8-1-3; Rebekah Davis 2-2-0; Alex Matz 2-0-2; Kailey Smith 2-4-1;
Totals 46-9-9.0. (Assists) - Kailey Smith 40. (Dig leaders) - Jessica
Imbimbo 24; Rebekah Davis 19; Liz Drewry 12; Kailey Smith 11
Site: Florence, SC (Smith Univ. Center)
Date: Nov 03, 2012 Attend: 111 Time: 1:59
Referees: Rick Laskey, Ron Weigand
Liberos: Davis (FMU), Lukralle (USCA)
