Box Score The North Greenville Crusaders fell just short of a historical comeback after falling in the first two sets, but were ultimately defeated by the Patriots of Francis Marion University with a final score of 3-2 in the Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship game in Bristol, Tennessee. North Greenville fell behind early in the first two sets before bouncing back by taking the third and fourth sets. Set five began as a barn burner, but Francis Marion was able to pull away later on in the set to secure the championship. NGU ends their season as the tournament runner-ups for the second season in a row.
Paige Beisecker and
Kasie Thomas were named to the All-Tournament team.
Results
- Score: NGU 2 / FMU 3
- Location: Student Center Complex / Bristol, TN
- Records: NGU 21-9 / FMU 21-10
Recap
- Francis Marion would begin the match with the early momentum, scoring seven of the first nine points. Kills by Emilie Allen and Abigail Durham would get the Crusaders back within striking distance, but the Patriots would further pull away from there with a 6-1 run. FMU would lead by as much as ten. Late in the set, the Crusaders would put up a fight with a 4-1 run to pull back within five, but Francis Marion was able to end the set by scoring four of the final five points to win it 25-17.
- NGU began the second set with the momentum, scoring the first three points thanks to three consecutive attack errors. After both teams were able to string together two points, the Patriots took the lead with seven straight points. The two teams would then spend some time alternating points, but North Greenville would eventually pull back within a point by scoring three in a row. NGU would remain within striking distance for the remainder of the set, but would not quite be able to take the lead, and FMU would hang on for the 25-21 set victory.
- Set three would start off on an even note, but NGU was able to put together the first run of the set, scoring five of six to lead 8-4. After Later in the set, North Greenville would put the set on ice with a 7-1 run to lead 21-14. FMU would put up a late fight to pull back within three, but a kill by Erin Allen and a block by Paige Beisecker and Abigail Durham would put the Crusaders on the board with a 25-20 set win.
- Set four proved to be NGU's best set of the match as a .323 attack proved to be more than enough to force a fifth set. Up by two, the Crusaders would post a 4-1 run to take a 12-7 lead. A 5-1 run by North Greenville would allow NGU to extend the lead to seven. A service ace by Erin Allen would end the set with a score of 25-18.
- Francis Marion took the opening two points of set five. From there, NGU would bounce back with four straight points including kills by Abigail Durham and Paige Beisecker. Tied at 6-6, the Patriots would take over the momentum, scoring seven of eight points to take a 12-7 lead. The Crusaders would put up one last fight with a 3-1 run, but the Patriots would come up with two final kills to win the championship.
Individual
- Abigail Durham led the team in kills with thirteen kills while also posting three digs and two blocks.
- Erin Allen posted twelve kills and eight digs.
- Paige Beisecker put up nine kills and a solid .421 attack percentage. She also recorded four block assists and three digs.
