FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore Alyssa Hansen pounded out a combined 34 kills, while hitting .378, as Francis Marion University split a pair of matches Saturday (Sept. 14) on the final day of the annual FMU Invitational Volleyball Tournament.  FMU swept past the University of Mount Olive 25-12, 25-16, 25-13 in the opening contest on Saturday, and dropped a five-set marathon 19-25, 25-13, 25-21, 17-25, 15-8 decision to the University of West Alabama during the evening.

The Patriots, now 5-3, will participate in the Pacer Invitational Tournament on Friday and Saturday, hosted by USC Aiken.  Francis Marion will face the University of West Florida (12 p.m.) and Erskine College (5 p.m.) on Friday, before playing Converse College (10 a.m.) and Valdosta State University (3 p.m.) on Saturday.

In the win over Mount Olive, FMU led throughout the first two sets.  Only once in the final set did the Trojans hold the lead and that was at 1-0.  The Patriots hit .280 as a team, while holding UMO to a negative hitting percentage (-.037)

Hansen tallied eight kills, while junior Kayla Arthur had seven and sophomore Iyanla Thigpen six.  Sophomore setter Finn Millians registered 28 assists and nine digs, while senior libero Natalie Vaughn dug up a team-high 12 balls and served three aces.

In the wild nightcap, FMU and West Alabama split the opening two sets.  In the fifth and deciding set, Francis Marion scored the opening point on a Courtney Abdur-Rahim service ace, but the Tigers responded with eight straight points and FMU was unable to recover.

Hansen recorded a career-high 26 kills with only five errors on 55 swings.  Defensively, she added a career-high 15 digs.  Arthur and sophomore Lily Walton both chipped in eight kills and Thigpen added seven.  Walton led FMU with five blocks.

Millians handed out a career-high 49 assists, dug up 11 balls, and served a pair of aces.  Vaughn paced the Patriots with 17 digs and was perfect on 21 serve receptions (and on all 35 during Saturday's two matches).  Both she and Adbur-Rahim posted three service aces as the Patriots totaled 10 as a team.