FLORENCE, S.C. – The UNC Pembroke volleyball team suffered its third-straight loss on Wednesday as the Lady Braves fell in Peach Belt Conference action to Francis Marion in three sets, 25-18, 25-13 and 25-18, inside of the Smith University Center.

The Patriots (9-1, 4-0 PBC) have won three-straight against UNCP (6-9, 0-4), and improve to 39-26 in the all-time series. 

Sabrina Gonzalez recorded a double-double, finishing with 10 kills and 10 digs, while Shekinah-Joy Toloumu also tallied a double-double with 21 assists and 11 digs. UNCP earned seven team blocks, Cecilia Brandon turned in four block assists and one solo block for the Black and Gold.

Francis Marion was led by Alexzandra Reed with 10 kills and five block assists. Megan Mooney contributed nine kills, as Kailey Smith dished out 24 assists and chipped in two solo blocks for the Patriots.

The first set started out with a five-point Francis Marion run, led by Jessica Imbimbo, helping the Patriots jump out to a 7-1 advantage. The Patriots would remain in control the remainder of the set, and a kill from Reed drew a UNCP blocking error to end set one.

UNCP kept the second set tight, leading 6-3 after consecutive Patriot errors. Francis Marion tied the match up at 10-10, and then surged ahead of the Black and Gold after Rebekah Davis sparked an offensive wave. Imimbo finished out the second frame, serving six-straight points.

The Patriots never allowed the Lady Braves to lead by more than one in the final stanza. Reed gave the Francis Marion offense a push after a four-point run, and the Patriots stayed on top the rest of the set, earning match point on a UNCP attack error.

The Lady Braves return to the court on October 4th when the Black and Gold host PBC foe Georgia College (3-9, 1-2) at 7 p.m. inside of the English E. Jones Center.