FLORENCE, S.C. - Despite being out-hit and allowing Francis Marion a comeback to tie up the sets, the UNC Pembroke volleyball team rebounded in the final set by hitting .583 to take the intense 3-2 Peach Belt Conference victory over the home-standing Patriots in the Smith University Center on Friday evening.
With the victory, the Braves (4-14, 1-5 PBC) clinched their first league contest and halted a four-game skid as the Patriots (9-5, 3-3) suffered their second loss in the last three contests. The set scores were 26-24, 25-22, 21-25, 14-25, 15-6.
The two double-doubles for the Braves came from senior Nicole Mathews, as she posted a team-best 15 kills and 27 digs, and newcomer Jenna Dunsmore, who tallied her first career double-double with 17 assists and 14 digs. Caroline Pridgen also had double-digit kills with 11 and three block assists, while sophomore Jada Vernon concluded the contest with nine kills and a pair of block assists.
Setter Bailee Jones led the Black and Gold with 23 assists, and Ka'asha Jefferies added 21 digs to UNCP's defensive effort. The Braves finished the match hitting .148 with 52 kills and six team blocks along with an astounding 94 digs.
The two teams paced to a 13-13 tie in the first set, but Francis Marion used a 7-2 run to take the lead. Five-straight points for UNCP evened the game back up at 21-21 and despite the Patriots notching the first set point, Mathews delivered two final kills for the 26-24 win in set one.
The Black and Gold pulled ahead at the 13-all mark in the second set and refused to let Francis Marion control the lead despite being out-hit to hold the 2-0 advantage in the contest. Francis Marion made a comeback in the third and fourth sets by hitting .140 and .290, respectively, from the net to knot up the sets at 2-2.
Finally in the fifth set, UNCP held Francis Marion to just three kills compared to the Braves' eight. Three kills from the Braves and two attack errors by the Patriots allowed UNCP to bust out to a quick 5-1 lead. Another three kills and a service ace put UNCP ahead 9-2 before Jefferies put away the game with a pair of service aces to secure the 3-2 win for the Black and Gold.
Francis Marion was led by Carlie Smith the 13 kills, while Alexzandra Reed chipped in 12. Caroline Boone proved herself threat at the net with 10 block assists and one solo block, while setters Samantha Hinrichs and Carrie McGinnis posted 20 or more assists. Reed and McGinnis tallied double-doubles in the game as they had double-digit digs along with two others.
UNCP will return to action for a mid-week league tilt against Lander (13-3, 4-1) in Greenwood, S.C. on Wednesday with the contest set to begin at 7 p.m.
