FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9-30-06

College Volleyball: AASU 3, Francis Marion 2

Release Courtesy of Francis Marion Sports Information

FLORENCE, S.C. – Senior Traci Knuth recorded 22 kills and eight block assists to lead Armstrong Atlantic State University to a come-from-behind 25-30, 31-29, 29-31, 31-29, 15-9 victory over Francis Marion University, Saturday afternoon (Sept. 30) in a battle for first place in the Peach Belt Conference volleyball standings.

AASU evens its overall mark at 11-11, while snapping FMU’s seven-match winning streak and dropping the Patriots to 16-5. The two squads, along with USC Aiken, are tied for the PBC lead at 5-1.

AASU senior Leah Schmiedge added 15 kills and eight blocks, while junior Rindy Vidovich registered 10 kills and a team-high 19 digs. Setters Margaret Thornton (28) and Stacy Yates (20) combined to hand out 48 assists. As a team, the Pirates held a 16-6 advantage in blocks.

FMU senior Lezlie Logan and sophomore Allison Good each tallied 20 kills, with Good also digging out 10 balls. During the match, Logan became only the fourth Peach Belt player to surpass 1,700 career kills.

FMU senior libero Jessica Strader, the PBC’s all-time leader in digs, compiled a career-high 37 digs. Setter Jenna Kaiser dished out 57 assists and dug out 11 balls. Junior Jackie Phiel also set a career-high with 31 digs.

After losing game one, AASU took a 24-21 advantage in game two. The Patriots rallied to go up 29-28, but the Pirates scored the final three points to even the match at one game apiece. The same scenario played out in games three and four. AASU held a 26-22 lead in game three only to see the Patriots rally and grab a 31-29 win. In game four, the Pirates led 26-20, but FMU rallied to tie the match at 29-29. However this time, the Pirates regrouped and scored twice to take a 31-29 victory and force a deciding fifth game.

In game five, AASU scored the opening five points, behind the serving of Christina Flores, and never trailed. FMU did pull to within 12-9, but AASU scored the final three points to claim the win.

FMU plays host to Newberry College, Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the third of the university’s Red Zone contests. AASU plays at Lander University, Friday at 7 p.m.

- Pirates -