PEMBROKE, NC – Sophomore Courtney Abdur-Rahim registered a career-high 18 kills and served the opening three points of the deciding fifth set as Francis Marion University claimed a hard-fourth 25-20,17-25,25-19,20-25,15-10 win over UNC Pembroke, Saturday afternoon (Oct. 13) in Peach Belt Conference volleyball action.

Francis Marion (11-10, 3-4) completes the home-and-away sweep of the Braves (7-14, 0-5) on back-to-back days.  FMU will play host to USC Aiken on Friday at 7 p.m.

Abdur-Rahim hit .302 on 43 swings and dug up 15 balls to record her fifth double-double of the season.  Sophomore Kayla Arthur followed with 11 kills, a .429 hitting percentage, and four blocks.

Senior Georgia Garrison and freshmen Alyssa Hansen and Iyanla Thigpen each added eight kills apiece.  Thigpen also tallied seven blocks, including five solo blocks, while Garrison served three aces and dug up 10 balls.

For the second consecutive match, the setting duo of senior Carrie McGinnis (30 assists, 12 digs) and freshman Finn Millians (17 assists, 12 digs) both recorded double-doubles. Sophomore libero Natalie Ferrell dug up a team-high 20 balls.

Shannon Skryd led UNCP with 16 kills and 21 digs.

A 4-0 spurt in the opening set allowed FMU to stretch a 9-7 lead to 13-7.  The Patriots went on to claim the 25-20 win, while hitting .378 as a team.  Francis Marion was led by four kills apiece from Hansen and Abdur-Rahim.

The Braves rallied to even the match with a 25-17 victory in set number two. A pair of service aces by Garrison helped FMU close the third set on a 7-1 run to earn a 25-19 win. In the fourth set, the Patriots held a 17-9 lead, but the Braves answered with a 10-0 run to erase that advantage and UNCP went on to even the match with a 25-20 victory.

Abdur-Rahim served the opening three points of the fifth set and FMU never trailed.  The Patriots led 7-3, but UNCP rallied to within 10-9.  However, Abdur-Rahim collected a key kill and capped a 4-0 run with a service ace as FMU claimed a 15-10 win.

Francis Marion Univ. def. UNC Pembroke 25-20,17-25,25-19,20-25,15-10

Francis Marion Univ. (11-10, 3-4 PBC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Courtney
Abdur-Rahim 18-3-1; Kayla Arthur 11-1-4; Georgia Garrison 8-3-0;
Iyanla Thigpen 8-0-7; Alyssa Hansen 8-0-3; Madison Taylor 5-0-2; Finn
Millians 0-1-1; Natalie Ferrell 0-1-0; Totals 58-9-12.0. (Assists) -
Carrie McGinnis 30; Finn Millians 17. (Dig leaders) - Natalie Ferrell
20; Courtney Abdur-Rahim 15; Finn Millians 12; Carrie McGinnis 12;
Georgia Garrison 10

UNC Pembroke (7-14, 0-5 PBC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Shannon Skryd
16-0-2; Aquia Jones 14-0-5; Brianna Warren 11-0-4; Selena Biele 7-0-0;
Elly Hicks 6-0-0; Ashley Caesar 6-0-4; Raven Oates 2-0-0; April
Tankersley 2-0-0; Anna Heinz 1-2-0; Bailee Jones 0-0-2; Totals
65-2-10.0. (Assists) - Bailee Jones 58. (Dig leaders) - Anna Heinz 23;
Raven Oates 22; Shannon Skryd 21; Abby Farr 10

Site: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Bank Court)
Date: Oct 13, 2018   Attend: 81   Time: 2:00