MURFREESBORO, NC – Sophomore outside hitter
Haleigh Kamer produced a game-high 20 kills on a .333 hitting percentage, as Francis Marion University registered a 3-1 victory at Chowan University on Tuesday night (Sept. 29) in Conference Carolinas women's volleyball play.
The Patriots collect their fifth straight win to improve to 12-4 overall with an 8-1 mark in Conference Carolinas action. With the divisional win over the Hawks, FMU climbs atop the East Division with a perfect 3-0 record. Meanwhile, Chowan drops to 4-11 this season with a 3-5 record in league play.
FMU continues conference competition on Saturday, Oct. 3, when it travels to North Greenville University for a matchup at 2 p.m.
Kamer recorded her sixth kill/dig double-double of the season after posting 20 kills on a .333 clip with 17 digs and three blocks. Sophomore middle blocker
McKayla Stockwell finished with nine kills on a .300 hitting percentage with four digs and four blocks. Senior opposite hitter
Camryn Faggart and graduate student middle blocker
Vanessa Blake each tallied six kills, while senior outside hitter
Allison Miller contributed five kills, one ace, and 12 digs.
Sophomore setter
Aubrey Johnson directed the offense with 41 assists, 16 digs, two blocks, and two kills. Defensively, Kamer (17) and Johnson (16) led the way for the Patriots in digs, while freshman libero
Alyssa Whiteside totaled 13 digs and four assists.
In the opening set, the Patriot offense was clicking on all cylinders after tallying 15 kills on a staggering .423 hitting percentage. Francis Marion held an early 6-4 edge before mounting a significant 13-2 run with four kills by Kamer to take a 19-6 lead. Despite back-to-back points for the Hawks, the Patriots quickly sealed the first set by scoring six of the final seven points, 25-9.
The Hawks trailed early in the opening moments of the second set before using an 8-2 run to establish a 13-11 advantage. FMU would tie the contest at 14-14, but Chowan countered with five unanswered points to hold a 19-14 lead. The Hawks carried that momentum to a second-set victory by a 25-18 margin.
Chowan held the lead through the midway point of the third set with a slight 16-15 edge. Francis Marion scored five of the next seven points to take a 20-18 lead before scoring five straight points with a pair of kills by Stockwell to win the set, 25-18.
In the fourth set, the Patriots tallied 15 kills on a .297 hitting percentage with six blocks to secure the 3-1 win. With FMU holding an early 7-5 advantage, the Patriots went on an impressive 10-2 run with three blocks recorded to take a 17-7 lead. Francis Marion carried that energy to the end of the set, with a kill by Miller securing the victory, 25-14.
