DUE WEST, SC – After registering a season-high .364 hitting percentage with 39 kills, Francis Marion University captured a 3-0 sweep over Erskine College on Friday night (Sept. 25) in Conference Carolinas women's volleyball action.
The Patriots secured a third consecutive victory to improve to 10-4 overall with a 6-1 mark in league play. Francis Marion continues its five-game roadstand tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 26, against Belmont Abbey College, starting at 2 p.m. The Flying Fleet falls to 1-13 this season with a 0-7 record in conference action.
Sophomore outside hitter
Haleigh Kamer produced a game-high 12 kills on a .545 hitting percentage with 11 digs and three blocks. Graduate student middle blocker
Vanessa Blake contributed 11 kills on a .563 clip with five blocks against the Flying Fleet. Senior outside hitter
Madilyn Gartner finished with eight kills on a .467 hitting percentage with one ace, four blocks, and six digs. Sophomore setter
Aubrey Johnson guided the offense with 33 assists, plus one ace and six digs.
Defensively, the Patriots tallied 11 blocks at the net, led by Blake and sophomore middle blocker
McKayla Stockwell, who both registered five blocks. Freshman libero
Alyssa Whiteside finished the match with seven digs and three assists.
Francis Marion established an early 11-9 edge in the opening set before scoring five straight points to build a 16-9 advantage. Despite a serving error by the Patriots, FMU closed out the first set with nine unanswered points, including a trio of kills by senior opposite hitter
Camryn Faggart, 25-10.
In the second set, the sides exchanged points in the opening moments, resulting in nine different ties and the Flying Fleet holding a slight 10-9 lead. Francis Marion responded by scoring six of the next seven points, with Gartner tallying two kills to take a 15-11 edge. Erskine managed to close the deficit to 18-16, but a 7-3 run by the Patriots sealed the second set, 25-19.
Despite an early lead by Erskine, Francis Marion quickly exploded offensively to build an 11-6 advantage. Kills by Kamer, Blake, and Gartner allowed the Patriots to stretch the lead to 17-11 before closing out the match with eight straight points to win by a 25-11 margin.
