Box Score FLORENCE, SC – After forcing a fourth set, upset-minded Francis Marion University fell victim to a strong hitting attack by 18th-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University and the visiting Pirates claimed a 25-22, 25-22, 12-25, 25-15 victory, Tuesday night (Nov. 12) in Peach Belt Conference women's volleyball action.
Francis Marion drops to 20-7 overall and 11-5 in the Peach Belt, while Armstrong improves to 25-1 and 16-0.
FMU will close out its regular-season slate with a pair of conference home matches this weekend: against the University of Montevallo on Friday at 7 p.m. and against Columbus State University on Saturday at 2 p.m. Francis Marion will honor its four seniors prior to Friday night's contest.
FMU senior
Megan Mooney tallied eight kills and seven blocks from her middleblocker position.
A trio of Pirates recorded 13 kills apiece: Jessica Santaniello, Stephanie Sfara, and Kristen Holmes. Santaniello added 21 digs, while setter Megan Pando dished out 52 assists.
After falling by identical 25-22 scores in the opening two sets, Francis Marion hit a sizzling .571 as a team in set three with 13 kills and only one error in 21 attacks. The Patriots raced to an early 8-1 lead and were never threatened.
However in set four, the Pirates returned the favor as Armstrong took an early 6-1 advantage and Francis Marion was never able to recover. Armstrong hit .394 as a team in the final set, while holding the Patriots to a .051 figure.
Armstrong Atlantic def. Francis Marion Univ. 25-22,25-22,12-25,25-15
Armstrong Atlantic (25-1 (16-0 PBC)) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Kristen
Holmes 13-0-5; Stephanie Sfara 13-1-4; Jessica Santaniello 13-2-1;
Taylor Permenter 9-0-5; Emily Wylie 8-0-4; Megan Pando 0-0-1; Totals
56-3-10.0. (Assists) - Megan Pando 52. (Dig leaders) - Jessica
Santaniello 21; Stephanie Sfara 13; Morgan Hill 12
Francis Marion Univ. (20-7 (11-5 PBC)) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Emily
Sears 16-0-4; Alexzandra Reed 14-1-2; Jessica Imbimbo 10-2-2; Megan
Mooney 8-0-7; Shelby Jones 1-0-0; Caroline Boone 1-0-3; Kailey Smith
0-0-2; Rebekah Davis 0-1-0; Totals 50-4-12.0. (Assists) - Kailey Smith
45. (Dig leaders) - Rebekah Davis 25; Jessica Imbimbo 10
Site: Florence, SC (Smith Univ. Center)
Date: Nov 12, 2013 Attend: 234 Time: 1:43
Referees: Dave Mabe, Tony Hill
Liberos: Davis (FMU), Hill (Armstrong)
