FLORENCE, S.C. –
Taja Valmyr and
Sara Davis combined for 22 of Flagler College's 40 kills in a sweep (25-18, 25-22, 25-22) of Francis Marion University in a Peach Belt Conference volleyball match Saturday afternoon at the Smith University Center.
Flagler extended its winning streak to 16 matches and raised its record to 21-3 overall and 10-1 in the Peach Belt. With the win, the Saints clinched at least a share of the regular season title. Flagler has now won, or shared, five conference titles (2009-2010-2011-2016). Francis Marion had its two-match winning streak snapped as it dropped to 9-17 overall and 3-9 in conference play. The Patriots have wrapped up the No. 6 seed in next weekend's conference tournament.
Valmyr recorded her 13
th double-double of the season as she added 12 digs to her line. Davis hit an economical .423 as she finished with 26 swings without an error.
Tara Savisky recorded her seventh double-double of the season with a match-high 29 assists and 11 digs.
Kayla Norelli collected a match-high 19 digs.
Georgia Garrison and Shelbi Meek each had eight kills for the Patriots. Garrison added 12 digs and three aces while Meek scooped up 13 digs. Tori Carpenter recorded a double-double with 12 assists and 10 digs. Natalie Ferrell finished with a team-high 16 digs.
The match featured 20 ties and 13 lead changes.
Valmyr lead the Saints in the first set with five kills and hit .500 with one error on eight swings. Flagler hit .353 in the first set alone. The Saints used a 7-1 run midway through the set to take a 20-11 lead.
The second set went back and forth with 10 ties and seven lead changes. The Saints fell behind 20-17 after a double-block by Garrison and Leneé Blot. However, Flagler rattled off the next six points to take control. A double-block by
Raquel Kulak and
Regan Swift tied the score at 20, and then Valmyr had three consecutive kills. Francis Marion was able to close the gap to 23-22, but a service error followed by a Kulak kill ended the set.
In the third set, Flagler opened with an 11-5 lead, but Francis Marion was able to rally and eventually take the lead, 21-20, on a kill by Garrison. The Saints closed on a 5-1 run to take the match. Kayla Arthur had a pair of hitting errors, the last was blocked by
Karlie Redfern on match point.
Flagler will close out the regular season tomorrow at Georgia College at 4 p.m. The Bobcats will host next weekend's conference tournament.
Be the first to know what's going on with the Saints -- Follow @FlaglerSports on Twitter, follow FlaglerSports on Instagram, become a fan of Flagler College Athletics on Facebook and subscribe to the Flagler College Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with Flagler Athletics.
