FRANKLIN SPRINGS, GA – Senior middleblocker
Caroline Lucas surpassed 1,000 career kills after tallying 12 on Friday night (Oct. 10), as Francis Marion University suffered a 3-1 loss (24-26, 24-26, 25-14, 25-27) in a hard-fought match at Emmanuel in Conference Carolinas women's volleyball action.
With the loss, the Patriots suffered their first loss in Conference Carolinas play while dropping to 10-8 overall with an 8-1 mark in league play. The match tonight featured the top two programs in the preseason Conference Carolinas poll, as the Lions were picked first with FMU just behind at second overall. Francis Marion returns to divisional play on Tuesday, Oct. 14, when it travels to UNC Pembroke with the start time set for 6 p.m.
Lucas becomes the 12th player in program history to reach the career milestone and currently sits 11th all-time with 1,006 kills. She is also the first Patriot to achieve the feat in seven seasons.
Junior
Camryn Faggart set a new career-high with 18 kills while adding three blocks and three digs. Fellow junior
Madilyn Gartner also reached 18 kills on an impressive .412 hitting percentage with three blocks and two digs. Lucas totaled 12 kills on a .400 clip while totaling three blocks and seven digs. Senior setter
Mya Mendoza directed the offense with a season-high 44 assists over four sets played.
Defensively, junior libero
McKenna Wiseman delivered a career-high with 23 digs against the Lions. Fellow junior
Allison Miller also reached double figures with 10 digs while adding four kills, three assists, and two aces.
In the opening set, both sides exchanged points in the early portion before the Lions scored eight unanswered points to take a 12-5 advantage. Francis Marion answered with eight-straight points, including two aces by Mendoza, to regain the lead, 13-12. The match would be tied seven times down the stretch with the Patriots reaching set point at 24-23 following a kill by Gartner. Emmanuel responded with three consecutive points to steal the first set by a 26-24 margin.
The second set featured another tightly contested battle as the Patriots held a 13-11 edge behind four kills by Faggart. The Lions countered by scoring eight of the next 12 points to grab a 19-17 advantage while forcing a timeout by FMU. Francis Marion managed to rally late, battling off three-straight set points to tie the match at 24-24. Emmanuel found its offensive rhythm, putting down two kills to earn the win, 26-24.
The Patriots responded in the third set, totaling 15 kills on a staggering .400 hitting percentage. FMU quickly established an 11-6 edge before tallying three unanswered points to climb the advantage to 14-6. With Francis Marion leading 19-12, the Patriots scored six of the final eight points to capture a 25-14 victory.
The fourth set once again started with little separation as the sides tied seven different times while reaching 15-15. The Patriots claimed the lead at 17-15 following a kill by Gartner, but the Lions battled back to tie the contest at 21-21. Francis Marion reached set point twice in the fourth, including a 25-24 edge that forced a timeout by Emmanuel. The Lions answered out of the break with three-straight points to earn the win, 27-25.
