SAVANNAH, GA – After watching Francis Marion University rally for a dramatic set-one win, third-seeded and three-time defending tournament champion Armstrong State University won the next three sets to take a 24-26, 25-15, 25-15, 25-17 win over the Patriots, Tuesday night (Nov. 17) in the quarterfinal round of the 2015 Peach Belt Conference Women's Volleyball Tournament.

Francis Marion ends its season with a 16-14 mark, nearly doubling its win total of 2014.  Armstrong State (18-9) advances to Friday's semifinals in Aiken, S.C.

Senior Alexzandra Reed led Francis Marion with 17 kills, while junior middleblocker Caroline Boone added nine kills, three service aces, and three blocks.  Junior Carlie Smith tallied seven kills and eight digs, while freshman Georgia Garrison registered six kills and six digs.

Setters Samantha Hinrichs and Carrie McGinnis each handed out 17 assists, while sophomore libero Shelbi Meek dug up a team-high 10 balls.

Anna McGee and Emily Wylie paced the Pirates with 18 and 14 kills respectively, and both recorded hitting percentages over .500.  Setters Kristi Vaughn (29) and Carley Eikon (26) combined for 55 assists, while Iva Scepanovic recorded 14 digs and three aces.

FMU rallied from a 17-9 deficit in the opening set to take a 23-22 lead.  Boone capped the 14-5 run with a kill off a set from McGinnis.  With the score knotted at 24-24, Boone pounded down a kill with the help of Hinrichs and Garrison served an ace to clinch the 26-24 come-from-behind victory.

The Patriots scored the opening two points of the second set, but Armstrong State ran off seven consecutive points and did not trailed again.  In the third set, FMU won the opening point, but again the Pirates jumped to a 7-2 advantage and did not trail again.  Other than a 1-1 tie, Armstrong State led throughout the fourth and final set.

Reed ended her career with totals of 1,166 kills, 763 digs, 171 blocks, and 107 aces in 113 matches.  Two other seniors also donned the red, white, and blue for the final time on Tuesday: outside hitter Emily Sears and middleblocker Shelby Schindler.