TIGERVILLE, SC – Junior Gracie Davis and sophomore Lexi Albright combined for 31 kills and a .403 hitting percentage as Francis Marion University came out victorious in a battle of the two Conference Carolinas division leaders, taking a 25-21, 25-17, 25-21 win over North Greenville University, Saturday afternoon (Oct. 16) in volleyball action.
 
FMU (15-8, 11-0) extends its century-best winning streak to 11 matches and increases its lead over second-place UNC Pembroke to two full games in the East Division standings.
 
The Patriots will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 23, with a home match against Barton College at 2 p.m. in the Smith University Center.
 
Davis notched a career-high 18 kills on only 29 swings for a blistering .552 hitting percentage.  It marks her seventh consecutive match with double-digit kills.  She also totaled three blocks against the Crusaders.
 
Albright tallied 13 kills on 33 swings as the Patriots  committed only 12 attack errors in the three-set sweep. 
 
Sophomore setter Kaylee Gillespie dished out 35 assists and freshman libero Zoie Larkins dug up a match-high 18 balls.  Defensively, senior Lily Walton led FMU with four blocks.
 
Abigail Durham paced NGU (13-7, 8-3) with 10 kills and three blocks.
 
Despite trailing only once in the opening set – that at 1-0 – the Patriots could not shake the Crusaders.  North Greenville crept to within 22-21 before Davis recorded a kill and then back-to-back attack errors by NGU allowed FMU to escape with a 25-21 win.  The final error was the result of a Walton/Davis stuff at the net.
 
Francis Marion took the lead for good in set No.2 at 11-10 following a kill from Albright. A 10-4 spurt later in the set gave the Patriots a comfortable lead en route to the 25-17 victory.
 
The final set featured seven ties and three lead changes.  The final deadlock occurred at 17-17, but two attacking errors by the Crusaders gave FMU the lead for good.  The Patriots closed on a 6-3 run that was culminated by a Davis kill from a Gillespie set.
 
 
Francis Marion Univ. def. North Greenville 25-21,25-17,25-21
 
Francis Marion Univ. (15-8,11-0 Conference) (Kills-aces-blocks) -
Gracie Davis 18-0-3; Lexi Albright 13-0-2; Kayla Arthur 4-0-3; Lily
Walton 2-0-4; Iyanla Thigpen 2-0-0; Madeline Winning 2-0-1; Keely
Mclain 1-0-0; Naina Ivanova 0-2-0; Kaylee Gillespie 0-0-1; Totals
42-2-8.0. (Assists) - Kaylee Gillespie 35. (Dig leaders) - Zoie
Larkins 18; Lexi Albright 8
 
North Greenville (13-7,8-3 Conference) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Durham,
Abigail 10-0-3; Beisecker, Paige 7-0-3; Allen, Erin 6-1-0; Thomas,
Kasie 5-0-1; Allen, Emilie 3-0-0; Davis, Kelli 2-1-1; Kahler, Whitley
1-0-0; Lant, Catherine 1-0-0; Conner, Ashlyn 0-2-0; Totals 35-4-4.0.
(Assists) - Conner, Ashlyn 19; Pyke, Abby 13. (Dig leaders) - McClure,
Katherine 11; Kahler, Whitley 8
 
Site: Tigerville, SC (Hayes Gymnasium)
Date: 10/16/21       Attend: 231   Time: 1:19