FLORENCE, SC – Senior middleblocker Caroline Boone tallied 15 kills, five blocks, and three service aces to power Francis Marion University past Peach Belt Conference foe Columbus State University  in four sets (25-10, 31-29, 19-25, 25-15), Friday evening (Sept. 23) in women's volleyball action.

Francis Marion improves to 7-5 overall and picks up its first PBC win against two defeats.  The Patriots will return to action on Saturday when they entertain the University of Montevallo at 1 p.m. in the Smith University Center.

Boone recorded a .458 attack percentage on 24 swings.  Sophomore Georgia Garrison also pounded out 15 kills and dug up a season-high 18 balls – only two shy of her career high in that category.  She also committed only one error in 33 serve receptions.  Junior Erika Hartings added 11 kills, while freshman Lenee' Blot chipped in eight kills.

Sophomore setter Carrie McGinnis handed out 51 assists and registered 11 digs, while junior libero Shelbi Meek had a match-high 20 digs and freshman defensive specialist Natalie Vaughn equaled her career-high of 17 digs.

Junior Zoemy Barreto Pereira led Columbus State (7-4, 0-3) with 11 kills and 14 digs, while junior Mary McCarty struck for 10 kills.  Setter Abby King dished out 31 assists and dug up 11 balls, while libero Caytlin Merritt had a team-high 15 digs.

Francis Marion hit a sizzling .462 as a team in the opening set, a game that saw the Patriots take control with a 12-3 run midway through.  FMU claimed the marathon second set when Hartings swung for a kill and then she and Boone combined for a block on a CSU attack.  That set featured six lead changes and 16 ties.

Columbus State used a 13-1 spurt midway through set three to take command and force a fourth game.  In the final set, Francis Marion raced to an early 7-1 advantage and never trailed.

Francis Marion Univ. def. Columbus State Univ. 25-10,31-29,19-25,25-15

Columbus State Univ. (7-4 , 0-3 PBC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Zoemy B.
Pereira 11-2-1; Mary McCarty 10-1-2; Andrea Skipor 9-0-0; Megan Frame
4-2-2; Abby King 3-1-0; Savannah Miller 2-0-1; Malaisia Stallworth
2-0-1; Kylie Beaubien 1-1-0; Totals 42-7-5.0. (Assists) - Abby King
31. (Dig leaders) - Caytlin Merritt 15; Zoemy B. Pereira 14; Savannah
Miller 14; Sabrina Rodgers 12; Abby King 11

Francis Marion Univ. (7-5 , 1-2 PBC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Georgia
Garrison 15-2-0; Caroline Boone 15-3-5; Erika Hartings 11-0-1; Lenee'
Blot 8-0-0; Carlie Smith 6-2-1; Carrie McGinnis 4-0-0; Megan Dash
2-0-0; Chloe Attram 0-0-1; Natalie Vaughn 0-2-0; Shelbi Meek 0-2-0;
Totals 61-11-5.0. (Assists) - Carrie McGinnis 51. (Dig leaders) -
Shelbi Meek 20; Georgia Garrison 18; Natalie Vaughn 17; Carrie
McGinnis 11

Site: Florence, SC (Smith Univ. Center)
Date: Sep 23, 2016   Attend: 178   Time: 1:53   
Referees: Joy Stauffer, Linda Warren, J.Allen & S.Cooper
Liberos: Meek (FMU), Merritt (CSU)