FLORENCE, SC – Setter Kaylee Gillespie registered a double-double and middle blocker Kalee Peter pounded out a match-high 13 kills to propel Francis Marion University to a 25-19, 25-16, 25-12 sweep of visiting Erskine College, Friday night (Sept. 16) in Conference Carolinas volleyball action.
 
FMU improves to 6-5 overall and evens its conference mark at 1-1, while Erskine drops to 2-10 and 0-4.  The Patriots will return to action on Saturday (Sept. 17) when they host Emmanuel College at 2 p.m.
 
Gillespie guided the Francis Marion offense as she handed out 36 assists in only 64 sets, while pacing the defense with a match-high 15 digs.  She also served two aces and recorded three blocks.  During the evening, she also climbed into eighth place on the FMU career assists list with 1,731.
 
Peter collected her kill total on only 18 swings and posted a .667 attack percentage.  De'Asia Hill came off the FMU bench to tally 11 kills with a .500 hitting percentage.
 
First-year Patriot libero Katie Floyd dug up 13 balls and was flawless on 10 serve receptions.
 
As a team, Francis Marion had a season-best .302 hitting percentage, while holding the Flying Fleet to just .010.
 
FMU led by as many as 10 in the opening set, with Peter collecting the clinching point on a kill.  A 9-3 spurt midway through set No.2 was key to the Patriots' 25-16 win, while Francis Marion never trailed in the third set.  An 8-1 run helped the Patriots to an eventual 21-9 advantage.

 
 
Francis Marion Univ. def. Erskine 25-19,25-16,25-12
 
Erskine (2-10,0-4 Conference) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Angell, Ali
10-0-0; Bebber, Sam 7-0-0; Hollinger, Meredith 4-0-1; White, Elani
3-0-1; Schneider, Grace 1-0-0; Froemming, Izzy 0-0-1; Donald, Eve
0-0-1; Totals 25-0-2.0. (Assists) - DeWalt, Meghan 14. (Dig leaders) -
Gaston, Laney 10; Hollinger, Meredith 8
 
Francis Marion Univ. (6-5,1-1 Conference C) (Kills-aces-blocks) -
Kalee Peter 13-0-3; De'Asia Hill 11-0-1; Caroline Lucas 5-0-1; Gracie
Davis 4-0-0; Katie Kemp 4-0-0; Lexi Albright 2-0-0; Lily Walton 1-0-0;
Zoie Larkins 0-1-0; Katie Floyd 0-1-0; Kaylee Gillespie 0-2-3; Totals
40-4-6.0. (Assists) - Kaylee Gillespie 36. (Dig leaders) - Kaylee
Gillespie 15; Katie Floyd 13
 
Site: Florence, SC (Smith University Cen)
Date: 09/16/22       Attend: 236   Time: 1:27