SPARTANBURG, SC – Senior outside hitter
Madilyn Gartner surpassed 1,000 career kills after tallying a game-high 20 on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 17), as Francis Marion University's rally fell short in a 3-2 loss (25-19, 22-25, 17-25, 25-23, 8-15) at Converse University in Conference Carolinas women's volleyball play.
With the loss, the Patriots have their winning streak halted at five and drop to 17-6 this season with a 13-3 mark in conference action. Today's match marked the third time in five years that FMU and Converse have played to five sets. Meanwhile, the Valkyries improve to 14-9 overall with an 11-3 record in league competition.
Francis Marion closes out a four-match road stretch on Tuesday, Oct. 20, with a non-conference match at Augusta University, starting at 6 p.m.
Gartner becomes the 13th player in program history to reach the career milestone and currently sits 12th all-time with 1,002 kills. She joins former teammate
Caroline Lucas as the only Patriots to achieve the feat in the last eight seasons.
A native of Albertville, Minnesota, Gartner posted a double-double with 20 kills and 15 digs, plus one service ace and one block. Senior outside hitter
Allison Miller produced 12 kills on a .290 hitting percentage with 14 digs and one ace. Sophomore outside hitter
Haleigh Kamer contributed a double-double with 11 kills, 11 digs, one block, and one service ace. Senior opposite hitter
Camryn Faggart finished with seven kills on a .313 clip, with one block and one dig. Sophomore setter
Aubrey Johnson set a new career-high with 53 assists against the Valkyries on Saturday.
Freshman libero
Alyssa Whiteside delivered another impressive performance to pace the Patriot defense with 26 digs.
In the first set, Francis Marion raced out to a 6-1 lead following a kill and ace by Miller, but Converse countered with five straight points to tie the match at 6-6. The match would be tied 10 different times down the stretch before four unanswered points by the Patriots established a 22-18 edge. FMU would close out the opening set with a 25-19 win following an ace by Kamer.
The Patriots carried that momentum in the second set, building a 14-6 lead, but the Valkyries answered with five consecutive points to cut the deficit to 14-12. With FMU leading 17-13, Converse flipped the script with a 10-2 rally with six kills to take a 23-19 advantage. Francis Marion managed to close the gap to 24-22, but a Converse kill sealed the set, 25-22.
After trailing 7-4 in the third set, the Patriots responded with an 8-2 run, including three kills by Gartner, to take an 11-9 lead. The Valkyries answered by scoring 10 of the next 14 points to regain a 19-15 advantage. Converse finished the set with a 6-1 run to capture a 25-17 win.
In the fourth set, FMU was behind by an 8-4 margin before scoring five of the next six points to tie the match at 9-9. The Patriots eventually grabbed the lead following a combined five kills by Gartner and Faggart before using a 6-1 run to extend the advantage to 21-17. The Valkyries managed to trim the deficit to 24-23, but a kill by Faggart secured the win, 25-23.
Francis Marion scored three unanswered points to begin the fifth set before Converse mounted a staggering 11-1 run to hold a significant 11-4 lead. The Patriots worked the deficit down to 12-7, but the Valkyries used two kills and an ace to earn the victory, 15-8.
