FRANKLIN SPRINGS, GA – Lee University rallied to win the fourth and fifth sets to claim a 10-25, 27-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13 victory over Francis Marion University, Friday morning (Sept. 8) on the first day of the Lion's Den Invitational hosted by Emmanuel University.
 
FMU (1-4) plays 18th-ranked Wingate University later on Friday at 3:30 p.m.  The Patriots will then play a pair of matches on Saturday.
 
Senior setter Kaylee Gillespie directed the Patriot offense and defensive with 37 assists, 18 digs, and three blocks.  She is now within three assists of becoming the fourth Patriot to amass 2,500 career assists.  Freshman libero Ella Quiring registered 16 digs and a pair of service aces.
 
Junior middle hitter Mo Grigsby led FMU with 13 kills, while recording a .440 hitting percentage and four blocks.  Sophomore Carolina Lucas pounded out 12 kills and a .579 hitting percentage, while junior Kara Walker added 11 kills and seven digs and sophomore Katie Kemp eight kills and nine digs.
 
Allie Scurlock led Lee (4-1) with 19 kills and a .459 hitting percentage.
 
In the opening set, FMU raced to an 8-1 lead behind the serving of Walker.  Sophomore Katie Floyd later contributed a pair of service aces as the Patriots expanded the margin to 15-3, and Francis Marion would cruise to the easy 25-10 win.
 
Lee reversed the trend by jumping to a 5-1 lead in the second set, a lead that ballooned to 13-5.  FMU would rally to take a 19-18 lead with Floyd on the serving line.  The tightly contested set would eventually go the Flames by a 27-25 score.
 
The Flames would take an early lead in set No.3, but Francis Marion rallied to claim its first advantage at 12-11.  A kill by Gillespie upped the margin to 18-13, and FMU would later lead 21-17.  Lee rallied to within 22-21, by a kill by Kemp finished off a 25-22 Patriot win.
 
FMU led only once in the fourth set, 6-5 on a service ace by Quiring, as the Flames won 25-18 to push the match to a fifth set.
 
The Patriots scored the opening point of the fifth set, but Lee rebounded to take a 7-3 advantage.  Francis Marion rallied to within 9-8, fell behind 11-8, and came back to knot the score at 12-12 on a kill by Grigsby.  However, the Flames would claim three of the final four points to win 15-13.
 
 
Lee def. Francis Marion Univ. 10-25,27-25,22-25,25-18,15-13
 
Lee (4-1,0-0 Gulf South) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Scurlock, Allie 19-0-1;
Stroh, Abby 13-4-1; Hockless, Naomi 5-0-1; Middleton, Ashton 3-1-0;
Perez, Carmen 2-1-0; Soza, Clarissa 2-2-0; Petty, Macy 2-1-4; Harding,
Isabella 2-0-1; Halpin, Kamryn 0-4-0; Totals 48-13-5.0. (Assists) -
Middleton, Ashton 27; Soza, Clarissa 10. (Dig leaders) - Halpin,
Kamryn 20; Middleton, Ashton 11; Stroh, Abby 11; Perez, Carmen 9;
Soza, Clarissa 8
 
Francis Marion Univ. (1-4,0-0 Conference C) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Mo
Grigsby 13-0-4; Caroline Lucas 12-0-3; Kara Walker 11-1-0; Katie Kemp
8-0-0; Camryn Faggart 2-0-3; Kaylee Gillespie 2-1-3; Madilyn Gartner
1-0-0; Ava LaVancha 1-0-0; Katie Floyd 0-2-0; Ella Quiring 0-2-0;
Totals 50-6-7.0. (Assists) - Kaylee Gillespie 37. (Dig leaders) -
Kaylee Gillespie 18; Ella Quiring 16; Katie Kemp 9
 
Site: Franklin Springs, GA (Shaw Athletic Center)
Date: 09/08/23       Attend: 25   Time: 2:24