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FLORENCE, S.C. – Senior Caroline Pridgen put together another stellar performance Friday night, notching her fifth-consecutive match with double-digit kills, but the UNC Pembroke volleyball squad fell in three sets to host Francis Marion at the Smith University Center in a Peach Belt Conference (PBC) tilt.

The Patriots (15-10, 9-7 PBC) sweep the season series over the Braves (3-26, 0-15 PBC) with the 25-13, 25-22, 25-19 triumph, while the Black & Gold are still on the hunt for their first league win of the 2016 campaign.

The hosts jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a commanding first set, hitting a match best .333 to UNCP's .027. At 9-8, the Patriots rattled off 11 of the next 12 points to grab a 20-9 lead and cruised from there. The Braves responded in set two, never trailing by more than four, and even pulling within one at 23-22. But Francis Marion used a pair of kills to put away any hope of a set win for the visitors. The Patriots used the momentum from a tight second set to propel themselves to a 9-1 lead in the final set and never looked back.

Pridgen's 10 kills led the Braves, while a trio of UNCP players, sophomore Aquia Jones and freshmen Makaylah Elliott and Katelynn Leach, each tacked on seven kills. Leach set season highs in kills and hitting percentage (.600). Sophomore Bailee Jones dished out a team-high 18 assists and added seven digs, while senior Alicia Paeplow tacked on 14 assists and six digs. Junior Cayce Bell paced the guests with 19 digs and added three assists and a kill.

The Braves hit .149 as a team and racked up five blocks, while Francis Marion tallied a .276 hitting percentage with four blocks. The Patriots held slight advantages in kills (40-36), assists (38-35) and digs (50-48).

The Black & Gold are back in action Wednesday at home against USC Aiken. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. The Braves will their three seniors, Pridgen, Paeplow and Josephine Yang prior to the contest as they play their final home match in a Braves uniform.