Francis Marion Ends Season in NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship
BOX SCORE | ANDERSON, S.C. – After an incredible first season in Conference Carolinas that culminated in the East Division Regular Season Championship and a tournament title, the Patriots of Francis Marion saw their season come to an end in the first round of the NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship.
The Patriots earned the eighth seed in the Southeast Region in their fourth trip to the NCAA tournament. They drew the region’s top-seeed, Lenoir-Rhyne, and battled with the Bears in the first set, but the South Atlantic Conference program proved to be too much in a 3-0 defeat (25-20, 25-13, 25-16).
Francis Marion struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the match and hit .119 while Lenoir-Rhyne hit .398 in the contest. Gracie Davis led the Patriots with 10 kills while Kayla Arthur hit a team-best .308 with five kills. Kaylee Gillespie tallied 26 assists while Zoie Larkins totaled 11 digs.
In the opening set, Francis Marion won the first two points, withstood a 6-0 run by the Bears and eventually took the lead, 13-12, on a Lily Walton, Davis block. Unfortunately the Florence, South Carolina program was unable to string another rally together as the top seed closed on a 13-7 run in the 25-20 win.
In set two, Davis opened with a kill, but the Bears then raced out to a 10-4 lead and never looked back in a 25-13 set two win. FMU held several leads in the third set and a kill from Walton brought the Patriots within two, 18-16, but Lenoir-Rhyne scored the final seven points for a 25-16 win.
For more information on the Patriots and their season, visit fmupatriots.com.