CENTRAL, SC – The outside hitting duo of sophomore
Haleigh Kamer and senior
Madilyn Gartner combined for 41 kills on Friday night (Oct. 16), as Francis Marion University rallied to a 3-2 victory (20-25, 25-11, 24-26, 25-21, 16-14) at Southern Wesleyan University in Conference Carolinas women's volleyball play.
With the win, the Patriots stretch their winning streak to five and improve to 17-5 overall with a 13-2 mark in conference action. It marks just the third five-set match for the Patriots in 2026, first since facing Florida Southern College on Sept. 5. Meanwhile, the Warriors fall to 9-9 this season with a 7-7 record in league competition.
FMU will travel to Converse University tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 17, for a conference match at 1 p.m.
Kamer delivered another sensational performance after tallying a career-high 21 kills on a .341 hitting percentage with five blocks (two solo) and nine digs. Gartner produced her best performance of 2026, totaling a season-high 20 kills with two service aces and 15 digs. Senior outside hitter
Allison Miller contributed a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs, while freshman middle blocker
McKayla Stockwell finished with eight kills, two blocks, and four digs. Sophomore setter
Aubrey Johnson directed the offense with a season-high 51 assists while adding 14 digs.
Freshman libero
Alyssa Whiteside led the defense with 30 digs, a consecutive match achieving 30 or more digs.
The two sides exchanged points through the opening portion of the first set, as the Patriots held a slight 8-7 edge. The Warriors answered with three straight points to take a 10-8 lead and held it until FMU tied the match at 15-15. Southern Wesleyan mounted a 4-1 run to build a 20-17 lead, forcing a Patriot timeout. Despite back-to-back kills by Francis Marion, the Warriors claimed the opening set by scoring five on the final six points, 25-20.
FMU played a flawless second set after recording 13 kills on an impressive .565 clip with two service aces and three blocks. The Patriots built a 9-4 advantage to begin the set before eventually climbing the lead to 15-8 following an ace by Gartner. After a SWU timeout, Francis Marion went on a 9-1 run with two kills by Miller to hold a significant 24-9 lead. The Patriots claimed the second set on a service error to win 25-11.
In the third set, Southern Wesleyan built a 12-7 edge after scoring five unanswered points to force an early timeout by the Patriots. Francis Marion responded with nine consecutive points, including three kills by Gartner, to take an 18-15 advantage. The Patriots would reach set point with the score 24-19, but the Warriors responded with an astonishing seven straight points to steal the third set, 26-24.
The fourth set remained close through the midway point, as the Warriors held a 13-11 lead. The Patriots rallied, and the contest would be tied three separate times before FMU mounted a 9-2 run to take a 24-18 advantage. SWU answered back with three straight points before a kill by Kamer sent the contest to a decisive fifth set, 25-21.
Southern Wesleyan raced out to an 8-3 lead in the fifth set, as FMU used both of its timeouts to regroup from the tough start. With SWU ahead 9-4, Francis Marion scored six consecutive points behind four kills by Kamer to take a 10-9 edge. The match would end up tied three times down the stretch before back-to-back kills by Gartner secured the win, 16-14.
