FLORENCE, SC – Four different Patriots set new career highs, including junior Courtney Abdur-Rahim and sophomore Alyssa Hansen combining for 53 digs, as Francis Marion University outlasted Catawba College for a marathon 25-27, 25-23, 25-23, 26-28, 15-8 win, Tuesday evening (Oct. 15) in non-conference volleyball play.

Winners of four straight, FMU improves to 12-8, while Catawba drops to 4-10.  The Patriots return to Peach Belt Conference play on Saturday with a 2 p.m. contest at Flagler College.

Sophomore 6-2 middle blocker Iyanla Thigpen came off the FMU bench and tallied a career-high 16 kills, while also posting a team-high six blocks.  Hansen added 13 kills and a career-high 25 digs, while junior Kayla Arthur recorded 10 kills.

Sophomore setter Finn Millians handed out a career-high 53 assists and also dug up 13 balls for her eighth double-double of the year.  She also surpassed 1,000 assists for her career.  Abdur-Rahim registered a career-high 29 digs, while senior libero Natalie Vaughn had 19 digs.  Altogether, Francis Marion posted season-high totals of 100 digs and 13.0 team blocks.

Kylie Morgan led Catawba with 15 kills and 14 digs, while setter Morgan Hester had 45 assists and 25 digs.

The match featured 23 lead changes and 48 ties.  The first set alone had seven lead changes and 17 ties.  The Lady Indians survived one FMU set point by finishing the game on a 4-1 spurt.  Francis Marion scored the opening five points of the second set and never trailed.  Although FMU led by as many as seven points (8-1), Catawba closed the gap to one point on three occasions in the late going before Hansen scored the deciding point on a kill off a set from Millians.

The third set was tightly contested with six lead changes and 12 deadlocks.  Trailing 23-21, Francis Marion got back-to-back kills from Hansen, an ace by Vaughn, and an attacking error by Catawba to rally for the win.  The Lady Indians returned the favor in the fourth set that featured eight lead changes and 16 ties.  Catawba survived three match points by the Patriots to eventually force a fifth set.

A kill by Hansen snapped a 3-3 deadlock in set five and was part of a 5-0 run that gave the Patriots the lead for good.  With sophomore Lily Walton serving, FMU closed the set (and match) with another 5-0 spurt – capped by kills from Abdur-Rahim and Arthur. 

Post-match comments from FMU head coach Lauren Baufield

Francis Marion Univ. def. Catawba College 25-27,25-23,25-23,26-28,15-8

Catawba College (4-10) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Kylie Morgan 15-0-0; Jade
Brooks 11-1-2; Allie Grubb 9-0-0; Ashley Johnson 6-0-3; Jasmine Wooten
6-0-1; Claire Kellum 5-0-1; Payton Medich 4-0-0; Morgan Hester 4-2-0;
Jaida Henderson 1-0-0; Totals 61-3-5.0. (Assists) - Morgan Hester 45.
(Dig leaders) - Morgan Hester 25; Malia Carr 18; Sydney Snyder 17;
Kylie Morgan 14; Jade Brooks 13; Jasmine Wooten 11

Francis Marion Univ. (12-8) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Iyanla Thigpen
16-0-6; Alyssa Hansen 13-2-0; Kayla Arthur 10-1-1; Lily Walton 9-1-5;
Courtney Abdur-Rahim 6-1-1; Finn Millians 1-2-5; Brittany Sehnke
1-0-4; Adison Minor 1-0-1; Natalie Vaughn 0-2-0; Totals 57-9-13.0.
(Assists) - Finn Millians 53. (Dig leaders) - Courtney Abdur-Rahim 29;
Alyssa Hansen 25; Natalie Vaughn 19; Finn Millians 13

Site: Florence, SC (Smith Uni. Center)
Date: 10/15/19       Attend: 176   Time: 2:22
Referees: Joy Stauffer, Morgan Shannon
Line judges: Bailey Perdue, Michaela Dennis