WILSON, NC – In the Conference Carolinas opener on Tuesday night, the Patriots featured a trio of players with double-digit kills in a 3-1 victory (25-16, 25-17, 13-25, 28-26) at Barton in divisional play.

Francis Marion University improves to 2-6 overall with a 1-0 mark in league competition. The Patriots continue Conference Carolinas action later this week with a matchup against the defending league champion Converse in their home-opener on Friday, Sept. 19, at the Smith University Center, starting at 6 p.m.

Junior Madilyn Gartner paced the FMU offense with 14 kills while adding nine digs and one service ace. Senior Caroline Lucas finished with 13 kills on a .290 hitting percentage with two blocks and three digs. Junior Camryn Faggart delivered a season-high 12 kills, and junior Allison Miller contributed seven kills, two assists, eight digs, and an ace. Freshman Aubrey Johnson directed the offense with an assist/dig double-double behind a season-high 37 assists and 14 digs.

Junior McKenna Wiseman led the defensive effort with a career-high 20 digs over four sets played. Redshirt junior Kayla Clayworth also recorded a career-high with 19 digs in the win on Tuesday.

Francis Marion built an impressive 8-3 advantage in the opening set behind a pair of kills from Faggart. The Patriots quickly extended their lead to 13-5 before the Bulldogs rallied to cut into the deficit, 15-12. FMU finished with the first set on a 10-4 run with Miller and Lucas contributing kills to win by a 25-16 margin.

In the second set, the Patriots established a 10-3 lead behind a trio of kills by Faggart. FMU remained in control for the majority of the set, increasing its advantage to 20-10. Barton mounted a 6-1 run to trim the lead to 21-16, but the Patriots responded following a timeout. Francis Marion closed out the second set by scoring four of the final five points to claim a 25-17 win.

The sides exchanged points in the early portion of the third set, with the score tied at 10-10. Barton gained momentum with a significant 10-1 run to take a 20-11 advantage over the Patriots. After an attacking error by Barton, the Bulldogs finished the set with a 5-1 run to secure a 25-13 victory.

In the fourth set, Francis Marion managed to build an 8-4 advantage following two kills by Gartner. With FMU holding a 12-6 lead, Barton battled back late in the set to tie the contest at 22-22. The Patriots reached set point four times as the sides clashed before a kill by Lucas sealed the 28-26 win.