PEMBROKE – Knotted a one set apiece, the UNC Pembroke volleyball team looked to have momentum on its side Wednesday night at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court, but the Patriots of Francis Marion, still stung from a pair of five-set defeats last season, ramped up their intensity and took sets three and four to secure the 3-1 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) victory.
The Braves (1-14, 0-5 PBC), losers of eight straight, came back from an 8-1 deficit in set two, but could not carry the momentum forward in the 18-25, 25-22, 23-25, 14-25 loss. The Patriots (9-5, 3-2 PBC) run their league winning streak to three after starting the season 0-2 in the conference.
Set three proved to be a crucial swing, as the hosts came back from a 20-15 hole to take a 22-21 lead, but dropped four of the next five points to find themselves down two sets to one. The Patriots, not wanting to play a decisive fifth set, came out swinging in the fourth to the tune of 15 kills and only three errors.
The UNCP back line stayed stout throughout the match, racking up a season-high 73 digs, led by libero
Cayce Bell with 20. She was joined in double-digits by
Anna Heinz with 13 and 11 from
Bailee Jones. Jones added 31 assist for her fourth double-double of the season. The setter also had a team-best .429 attack percentage, racking up four kills on seven attempts with just one error.
Francis Marion hit .253 as a team, bookended by a .405 mark in the opening set and a .353 clip in the fourth stanza. The Patriots were led by Carolina Boone with 18 kills and a .471 attack percentage.
Caroline Pridgen led all Braves with nine kills, followed by
Madelyn Ashwell at eight and
Makaylah Elliott at seven. The Braves totaled 38 kills to Francis Marion's 58 and hit .089 across all four sets.
UNCP registered double-digit blocks for the fourth time this season, this time with exactly 10 to the Patriots' four. Elliott led the squad with five block assists and tied for the team lead with one solo block.
The Braves will make the almost 300-mile trek to Milledgeville, Georgia to take on the Bobcats of Georgia College Friday night in the Centennial Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m. The Bobcats (7-3, 2-2 PBC) are winners of two of their last three and took down UNCP in both meetings last season.
