SPARTANBURG, S.C. – For just the second time in program history the Converse University Volleyball team defeated Francis Marion 3-2 on Saturday afternoon inside the Weisiger Center.
With the win the Valkyries improve to 14-9 overall and 11-3 in Conference Carolinas action. Converse has now won three straight matches and they improve to 6-1 in home games this season. Meanwhile, Francis Marion drops to 17-6 overall and 13-3 in Conference Carolinas play.
In the opening set the Patriots opened up the game on a 6-1 run, but the Valkyries were unfazed as they won five straight points to tie the set at six. The two teams then went back-and-forth and matched each other point-for-point. With the set tied at 18, Francis Marion made a late 4-0 run to pull away from the Valkyries. The Patriots won the opening set 25-19.
The second set appeared to be all Francis Marion as they built a 14-6 advantage over the Valkyries. Converse then went on a 6-0 run to pull within striking distance of the Patriots. Trailing 17-13, the Valkyries rallied with their second 6-0 run of the period and took a 19-17 lead. Converse went on to win the second set by a final score of 25-22.
In the third set, the Valkyries jumped out to a 7-3 lead over the Patriots. Francis Marion then won five straight points to steal back the early momentum at 8-7. The two teams stayed within striking distance of one another for the majority of the period. Then late in the third period, Converse broke away and built a 19-15 advantage. The Valkyries then cruised to a 25-17 third set win over Francis Marion.
For the second straight set the Valkyries opened up on a 7-3 run against the Patriots. Francis Marion rallied and tied the match at nine a few plays later. Later in the fourth period the two teams were deadlocked at 16 before Francis Marion made a late move against the Valkyries. Converse trailed 21-17 and rallied back to make it a 21-20 deficit to the Patriots. Francis Marion held on for a 25-23 fourth set win and forced a fifth set against the Valkyries.
Francis Marion held an early 4-3 advantage over Converse in the fifth set. The Valkyries then rattled off eight straight points and held an 11-4 lead over the Patriots. Francis Marion attempted to rally late but ran out of time as Converse won the final set 15-8.
Converse finished with 81 points, 65 kills, 7 aces, 9 blocks, 57 assists and 79 digs.
Ella Ruckman finished with a team high 15 kills,
Alayah Robertson was second on the team with 14 kills and
Samiya Bolton recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs.
Alayah Robertson had a team high six blocks, while
Ariana Bryant and
Alysha Arroyo each had three blocks in the win. Arroyo led the team with 31 assists and
Emma Blackstar finished second on the team with 18 assists.
Scarlett Xiong led the team with 28 digs and
Landon Garbade was third on the team with seven digs.
Next Up:
Converse will stay at home this week with games against King and North Greenville.
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