FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore outside hitter
Haleigh Kamer set a career high with 22 kills Tuesday night (Nov. 3) as Francis Marion University won 3-1 over the University of Mount Olive in the Conference Carolinas women's volleyball regular-season finale at the Smith University Center.
With the win, the Patriots improve to 22-7 overall, the most wins in a single season during the 10-year tenure of head coach
Lauren Baufield-Edwards. Francis Marion also improved to 17-3 in conference play and completed divisional play with a perfect 10-0 mark. Meanwhile, the Trojans fall to 15-13 overall with an 11-9 record in league competition.
FMU, the Conference Carolinas East Division Champion, secured the No. 3 seed in the upcoming league tournament and will receive a bye from first-round play. The Patriots will host the quarterfinal match on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m., in the Smith University Center versus the winner of #6 Mount Olive/#11 King.
Kamer finished with a game-high 22 kills on an impressive .356 hitting percentage, plus 12 digs, four service aces, and three blocks. Senior outside hitter
Allison Miller contributed nine kills, nine digs, and two aces. The trio of senior opposite
Camryn Faggart, graduate student middle blocker
Vanessa Blake, and sophomore middle blocker
McKayla Stockwell each registered seven kills. Sophomore setter
Aubrey Johnson posted a double-double with 46 assists and 11 digs against the Trojans.
Freshman libero
Alyssa Whiteside led the defensive effort with 21 digs, while senior defensive specialist
McKenna Wiseman produced nine digs and three service aces. Kamer and Blake controlled the net with three blocks, while the Patriots tallied 11 aces, led by Kamer with four.
In the first set, the Patriots leaped ahead by a 13-5 margin behind four service aces before the Trojans slowly trimmed the deficit to 18-14. Francis Marion responded with five unanswered points, capitalizing on four attacking errors to build a 23-14 advantage. The sides traded the final four points as FMU captured a 25-16 victory.
Francis Marion held an early 8-3 edge in the second set before Mount Olive countered with a 9-1 rally to take a 12-9 lead. The Patriots would tie the match at 14-14 before the contest was knotted five more times down the stretch. With UMO ahead 22-21, the Trojans scored three consecutive points to earn a 25-21 win.
The Patriots delivered 16 kills in the third set on a .333 hitting percentage with just a pair of attacking errors. Francis Marion established the initial advantage with a 12-9 lead before totaling four unanswered points to take a 16-9 edge. FMU's offense was lethal to close out the set, delivering eight kills to seal a 25-14 victory.
In the fourth set, Francis Marion continued its offensive eruption with 16 kills on a staggering .419 clip. The Patriots raced out to a 9-2 advantage with Kamer tallying four kills, but the Trojans countered by closing the deficit to 11-8. FMU answered back with a 9-1 run before the sides exchanged points late in the set with an attacking error by UMO, securing the 25-14 FMU win.
