FLORENCE, S.C. – The King University women's volleyball team fell to Conference Carolinas opponent Francis Marion University 3-0 Friday night despite
Hailee Blankenship turning in her fourth straight double-double.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Francis Marion 3, King 0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-20)
LOCATION: Pearl Moore Basketball Center; Florence, S.C.
RECORDS: King 8-14, 4-8 Conference Carolinas; Francis Marion 13-13, 9-4 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- Francis Marion scored the first three points before Hailee Blankenship came up with a kill to get the Tornado on the board.
- King would use a 5-2 scoring run to pull even at six before the Patriots opened up a 13-6 advantage.
- After trading points, the Tornado scored three in a row, getting to within 14-10.
- The Francis Marion lead eventually reached 24-16 before the Tornado scored a pair of points, though the Patriots would eventually win the set, 25-18.
Second Set
- King took an early 4-1 lead thanks in part to a pair of kills by Abigale Jayne.
- Francis Marion then scored eight of the next 10 points, opening up a 9-6 lead.
- The Tornado pulled back to within 11-10 on a Blankenship kill, but the Patriots went on a 5-1 scoring run that saw the lead turn into 16-11.
- The Patriots worked their way to set point, leading 24-17, but the Tornado scored the next three points, with Chloe Clayton getting consecutive service aces before the Patriots won the set 25-20.
Third Set
- The Patriots took an early 5-1 lead before the Tornado scored a pair of points to make the score 5-3.
- After a 5-2 scoring run put Francis Marion in front 10-5, they were able to extend it, taking a 13-9 lead.
- King then scored a couple of points, with Blankenship recording a kill to make the score 13-11, with King eventually pulling to within 15-13 off a kill by Izzy Krick.
- Francis Marion then scored four of the next five points, taking a 19-14 lead and forcing the Tornado to call timeout.
- Coming out of the timeout, the Tornado and Patriots traded points, with FMU taking a 21-16 lead before a couple of Tornado points.
- The Tornado were able to pull to within 23-20, but FMU took the final two points, winning the set 25-20 and the match 3-0.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Blankenship recorded another double-double, finishing with 12 kills and 12 digs. It is her fourth consecutive double-double.
- Gabri Puertas had 11 digs, along with two assists, while Katie Harless had 29 assists.
FOR THE FOES
- Kara Walker led the Patriots with 17 kills and nine digs, along with three aces.
- Caroline Lucas had 10 kills and three block assists.
- Kaylee Gillespie had a team-high 40 assists.
UP NEXT
- King will play at UNC Pembroke Saturday afternoon, with first serve set for 12 p.m.
- Francis Marion will host Lees-McRae Saturday afternoon.
