FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore outside hitter
Haleigh Kamer produced a career-high 17 kills on Friday evening (Sept. 11), as Francis Marion University captured a 3-1 victory (17-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-15) over Young Harris College in Conference Carolinas women's volleyball action at the Smith University Center.
Following the home-opening win, the Patriots improve to 6-3 overall with a 2-0 mark in conference play. FMU holds a 6-1 lead in the all-time series with the Mountain Lions (6-2, 0-1) and an undefeated 4-0 record in home matches.
FMU will have a quick turnaround as it welcomes Shorter University tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 12, for the Conference Carolinas match at 1 p.m. in the University Center.
Kamer finished a game-high 17 kills on an impressive .350 clip while adding seven digs and a service ace. Senior outside hitter
Madilyn Gartner finished with a season-best 14 kills, two assists, one ace, and nine digs versus the Mountain Lions. Graduate student middle blocker
Vanessa Blake also delivered eight kills and two blocks. Sophomore setter
Aubrey Johnson continues her stellar 2026 season after finishing with a season-high 46 assists and tallying 12 digs, her fifth double-double of the year.
Freshman libero
Alyssa Whiteside once again led the defensive effort with 13 digs, and senior defensive specialist
McKenna Wiseman added four aces. At the net, sophomore middle blocker
McKayla Stockwell recorded three blocks (one solo).
In the opening set, the Patriots raced ahead to take a 5-1 advantage, but Young Harris rallied to tie the score at 6-6. FMU regained a 10-7 edge following kills by Gartner and Kamer before the Mountain Lions answered with an 8-2 rally to take a 15-12 lead. FMU managed to close the deficit to 18-16, but YHC used a late 7-1 run to take the first set, 25-17.
It was a back-and-forth battle to begin the second set, and Young Harris held a slight 10-8 edge. FMU responded with five unanswered points to take a 13-10 lead and held a three-point advantage late in the set. The Patriots mounted a 7-1 run with multiple kills by Gartner and Blake to win by a 25-16 margin.
Francis Marion pulled away in the early portion of the third set, establishing a 12-6 lead following a kill by Kamer. The Mountain Lions countered with a rally to trail 17-15 but were unable to close the two-point gap as the Patriots registered a 25-20 win.
In the fourth, both teams had extended runs early as the set was tied six different times. Francis Marion would go on a 9-2 run with Blake accounting for three kills to take a significant 18-12 advantage. Freshman outside hitter
Gabby Humbles would record four kills in the closing points to seal a 25-15 victory.
