Related: Volleyball Mashes Way Past St. Andrews In Straight Sets
FLORENCE, S.C. – Forced away from Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court by the effects of Hurricane Matthew, the UNC Pembroke volleyball squad fell to Peach Belt Conference (PBC) foe Flagler in straight sets Friday night on the campus of Francis Marion.
The Braves (2-18, 0-9 PBC) are still searching for their first league win after the 18-25, 12-25, 14-25 setback, while the Saints (9-5, 5-0 PBC) remain unbeaten in the conference with their fifth-consecutive victory. Flagler is one of two PBC teams yet to lose a league contest.
After finding themselves down 15-10 in the opening set, the Black & Gold battled back to 15-13 before Flagler rattled off six-straight points to take control. It was much of the same in set two, as the Saints went on runs of four and nine, the latter to push a 16-12 advantage into a 25-12 victory. Flagler's longest run of the match came in the final stanza, an 11-point swing to go up 14-2, and never looked back.
UNCP registered a .040 hitting percentage, highlighted by a .200 mark in the first set, while the Saints hit over .320 in the first two sets and .302 overall. The Braves racked up 25 kills to Flagler's 39 and surrendered eight service aces to the Saints.
Senior
Caroline Pridgen paced the Braves with nine kills, followed by freshman
Makaylah Elliott with eight. Pridgen and Elliott each added two blocks. Senior
Alicia Paeplow led the squad with 11 assists, while
Cayce Bell and
Josephine Yang each racked up double-digit digs with 13 and 11, respectively.
The Black & Gold will return to Francis Marion Saturday for a 1 p.m. neutral tilt with Armstrong State at the Smith University Center. The Pirates (14-1, 4-0 PBC) sit atop the league standings and have won ten-consecutive matches dating back to Sept. 10.