WINGATE, NC – In the season-opening tournament, the Francis Marion University women's volleyball program registered a split at the Bulldog Classic, falling 3-2 to Coker University before rebounding with a 3-0 sweep over USC Aiken on Friday (Sept. 5).
Against USC Aiken (0-1) of the Peach Belt Conference (PBC), the Patriots offense posted an impressive .306 hitting percentage in a 3-0 victory (25-15, 25-21, 25-21), marking the first sweep for FMU in the series in a decade. Junior transfer Addison Miller led the way with 12 kills, seven digs, one block, and one ace against the Pacers. Junior
Madilyn Gartner contributed 10 kills on a .364 hitting clip while senior
Caroline Lucas finished with eight kills, two aces, and six blocks. Fellow senior
Mya Mendoza directed the offense with 19 assists and five digs, while freshman
Aubrey Johnson delivered 14 assists.
Defensively, redshirt junior
Kayla Clayworth paces the Patriots with 12 digs, and junior
McKenna Wiseman contributed nine digs in the win.
Against Coker (1-0) of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC), Francis Marion fell in a five-set thriller by a 3-2 margin (25-14, 15-25, 22-25, 25-22, 17-15) despite featuring a trio of players with double-digit kills. Miller delivered in her debut with the Patriots, recording a kill/dig double-double behind a team-high 16 kills while adding 12 digs. Gartner and junior
Camryn Faggart also reached double-figures with 14 and 10 kills, respectively. Johnson guided the offense with 23 assists, one ace, and four digs. Additionally, Mendoza tallied 18 assists, four service aces, and four digs.
Wiseman led the Patriots on defense with 18 digs over five sets played. Clayworth produced a career-high 17 digs with a pair of aces on Friday morning. Lucas led the way at the net, recording six blocks against the Cobras. As a team, FMU totaled an impressive 14 service aces in the loss, with Mendoza delivering four and Lucas posting three in the match.
The Patriots return to action at the Bulldog Classic tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 6, with scheduled matches against Lewis University (9 a.m.) and No. 17-ranked Wingate (2 p.m.).
