FLORENCE, SC ? Junior outside hitter
Madilyn Gartner led Francis Marion University with 18 kills on a .385 hitting percentage in 3-0 sweep against Barton College (25-18, 25-14, 25-12) in the Smith University Center on Wednesday evening (Oct. 29). Her 18 kills tie the conference-high for kills in a three-set match, a figure she reached both Saturday against Young Harris College and Wednesday.
With this victory, the Patriots bump their overall season record to 17-8, 14-1 in conference, while the Bulldogs fall to 6-17 overall and 3-13 in conference. FMU heads north to Virginia to play against Ferrum College for round two this season on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Alongside Gartner, junior outside hitter
Allison Miller rose to the occasion with eight kills paired with match-high 19 digs, while senior middleblocker
Caroline Lucas acquired eight kills of her own with three blocks.
Controlling the offensive effort was freshman setter
Aubrey Johnson with match-high 28 assists and senior libero
Katie Floyd had 11 digs.
Set one opened as a back-and-forth battle with the Patriots dishing a 5-1 run to take a 16-13 lead, highlighted by kills from Gartner. Freshman middleblocker
McKayla Stockwell, who had five kills and five blocks, made her mark along with Miller and Lucas to close out the set 25-18.
Francis Marion came out of the gate hot in set two, where Gartner tallied three points in a 5-0 advantage to make it 10-5. Strong blocking from Miller, Stockwell, Lucas, and junior outside hitter
Camryn Faggart fueled a 4-0 surge to extend the lead. Contributions from Gartner, Stockwell, Johnson, and Miller sealed the set with a decisive 25-14 victory.
The Patriots tamed the Bulldogs in set three with eight consecutive points thanks to three back-to-back kills from Gartner, a block from Stockwell and Gartner, as well as a swing from Stockwell. FMU remained focused and continued to go on several runs, with junior setter
Ella Martinez and Stockwell earning the final point with a block to secure the set win, 25-12 and solidified the sweep.
