PEMBROKE, NC – Sophomore outside hitter
Haleigh Kamer tallied 19 kills on an impressive .391 hitting percentage, as Francis Marion University captured the Conference Carolinas East Division title following a 3-0 sweep (25-22, 25-21, 25-15) at UNC Pembroke on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 31).
With the win, the Patriots improve to 21-7 overall, 16-3 in conference play, and a perfect 9-0 record in divisional competition. The Patriots sweep the season series over UNC Pembroke and move into third in the Conference Carolinas NPI rankings, which determines tournament seeding. Meanwhile, the Braves see their five-match winning streak snapped and drop to 21-8 this season with a 15-4 mark in league competition.
Francis Marion will conclude the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 3, when they host the University of Mount Olive in the Smith University Center at 6 p.m.
Kamer registered a double-double in the victory after recording a match-high 19 kills, plus 16 digs and three blocks. Senior outside hitter
Madilyn Gartner finished with nine kills, 19 digs, and three blocks, while graduate student middle blocker
Vanessa Blake contributed eight kills on a .375 clip with two blocks. Sophomore setter
Aubrey Johnson guided the offense with a double-double after finishing with 41 assists and 16 digs.
Freshman libero
Alyssa Whiteside and Gartner led the Patriot defense with 19 digs each. At the net, sophomore middle blocker
McKayla Stockwell set a new career-high with eight blocks.
In the opening set, the Braves leaped out to an 11-6 advantage before the Patriots countered a 10-1 rally, led by Stockwell with a pair of kills and a block, to take a 16-12 lead. With FMU leading 18-14, UNCP responded with four straight points to tie the match at 18-18 before the two sides exchanged the next four points. Francis Marion scored six of the final nine points, with a kill by senior opposite hitter
Camryn Faggart sealing the set, 25-22.
After three ties in the opening moments of the second set, the Braves jumped ahead by a 13-8 margin after scoring five straight points. The Patriots answered back with an 8-2 run behind a pair of kills by Blake and Gartner to hold a 16-15 edge. UNCP would regain the lead at 20-19, but Francis Marion closed out the set by scoring six of the final seven points to earn a 25-21 win.
FMU established an early 7-6 lead in the third set before scoring seven consecutive points, including a trio of kills by Kamer, to take a 14-6 advantage. After back-to-back points by UNCP, the Patriots managed to open up a 20-10 lead with kills from three different players. The teams traded points down the stretch, with a kill from Faggart securing the 25-15 victory.
