SCORE
Montevallo 3, Francis Marion 2 (24-26, 25-18, 24-26, 26-24, 15-10)
RECORDS
Montevallo (15-8 overall, 7-3 in Peach Belt Conference)
Francis Marion (12-9 overall, 5-5 in Peach Belt Conference)
LOCATION
Trustmark Arena (Montevallo, Ala.)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Montevallo fought back from a pair of 26-24 defeats in the first set and the third set, outlasting Francis Marion 15-10 in the fifth and final set to remain undefeated at home inside Trustmark Arena with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Patriots in Peach Belt Conference play.
The Falcons jumped out to a 15-9 lead early in the opening set, but the Patriots stormed back 8-2 run to tie the set at 17-17. The two teams traded points down the stretch and a kill by sophomore Breana Thomas tied the set at 24-24 before a kill by the Patriots' Caroline Boone and an attack error by the Falcons gave Francis Marion a 26-24 win in the frame.
The second set remained a tight battle in the early stages before a 5-0 run by the Falcons broke a 13-13 tie and gave Montevallo some momentum on its way to a 25-18 win in the set. A kill by senior Nicole Holton capped a 12-5 run by the Falcons down the stretch and clinched the set.
Montevallo raced out to a 11-3 lead early in the third set following a kill by Thomas. However, the Patriots ended the frame with an impressive 23-13 run to clinch a hard-fought 26-24 win in the set following a kill by Georgia Garrison and an attack error by the Falcons.
The Falcons kept the match alive with a 26-24 win in the fourth set. Montevallo opened the frame with a 6-0 run, fueled with two early kills by sophomore Kristy Bohan. A 8-2 run by the Patriots tied the set at 8-8 and the frame remained tight down the stretch before a kill by Bohan and an attack error by the Pacers clinched the set and sent the match into a fifth set.
Neither team led by more than two points in the final set until the Falcons put together a 5-0 run, capped with a kill by junior Chandler Cooper, gave Montevallo a 13-8 advantage. The Falcons held off the Patriots and clinched the match with a kill by senior Rebekah Phelps to clinch a 15-10 win in the set.
STAT OF THE MATCH
Montevallo finished the match with a hitting percentage of .400 or higher in two sets in the five-set match. The Falcons registered a .464 attack percentage in the second set and a .412 hitting percentage in the fifth set.
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
Senior Briana Marquez posted her eighth double-double of the season with a season-high 64 assists to go along with 14 digs. Marquez finished just seven assists shy of her career-high 71 assists she recorded against Flagler last season.
Phelps recorded her sixth double-double of the year after compiling 11 kills and 14 digs in the victory.
Holton also registered her sixth double-double of the season after recording 14 kills and 16 digs in the win.
UP NEXT
Montevallo will return to action Tuesday, Oct. 20 with a Peach Belt Conference match against Augusta University at Trustmark Arena. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
