FLORENCE, SC – Senior middleblocker Caroline Boone registered a match-high 12 kills to go along with a .476 attack percentage, while sophomore setter Carrie McGinnis directed the Francis Marion University offense to a .319 team hitting percentage as the Patriots swept past the University of Montevallo 25-16, 25-14, 25-21, Saturday afternoon (Sept. 24) in Peach Belt Conference women's volleyball action.

FMU ups its overall mark to 8-5 and evens its conference record at 2-2, while Montevallo drops to a similar 8-5 and 2-2.

Francis Marion will play its next three matches, all PBC contests, on the road beginning with a trip to UNC Pembroke on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. first serve.

Boone also served there aces and registered two solo blocks.  McGinnis tallied 33 assists on 70 set attempts and did not commit a ball handling error, while serving two aces.

Senior Carlie Smith added nine kills and sophomore Georgia Garrison eight.  Junior libero Shelbi Meek paced the Patriots with 16 digs.

Junior middleblocker Kristy Bohan led Montevallo with nine kills, while setter Hannah Christie recorded 19 assists and sophomore Brie Blume chipped in seven kills and a team-high 11 digs.

Francis Marion scored the opening three points of the first set and never trailed.  A 9-2 spurt by the Patriots helped lead to the 25-16 win.  In set two, the score was tied once (at 2-2), but again the Patriots did not trail.  A 9-3 run midway through the second set enabled FMU to pull away for the 25-14 victory.

The third set was close throughout and featured nine ties and five lead changes.  Leading by only 19-17, Smith pounded out back-to-back kills.  Later with a 21-19 advantage, junior Erika Hartings, Smith, and Boone took McGinnis sets and registered kills to put FMU up 24-19.

Francis Marion Univ. def. Univ. of Montevallo 25-16,25-14,25-21

Univ. of Montevallo (8-5 , 2-2 PBC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Bohan,
Kristy 9-1-1; Blume, Brie 7-0-0; Cooper, Chandler 5-0-3; Maxwell,
Simone 3-0-0; Twyford, Natalie 3-0-0; Dudley, Shannon 2-0-4; Christie,
Hannah 2-1-0; Dixon, Brioni 1-0-0; Totals 32-2-5.0. (Assists) -
Christie, Hannah 19. (Dig leaders) - Blume, Brie 11; Harris, Grace 10

Francis Marion Univ. (8-5 , 2-2 PBC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Caroline
Boone 12-3-2; Carlie Smith 9-2-2; Georgia Garrison 8-0-1; Erika
Hartings 7-0-0; Lenee' Blot 4-0-3; Carrie McGinnis 2-2-0; Shelbi Meek
0-2-0; Totals 42-9-5.0. (Assists) - Carrie McGinnis 33. (Dig leaders)
- Shelbi Meek 16; Georgia Garrison 6

Site: Florence, SC (Smith Univ. Center)
Date: Sep 24, 2016   Attend: 70   Time: 1:18   
Referees: Kirsten Boessneck, Joy Stauffer, J.Allen & S.Cooper
Liberos: Meek (FMU), Harris (UM)