ST. AUGUSTINE – Rebekah Machovec recorded a season-high 19 kills as Flagler College defeated Francis Marion University 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-20, 25-23) in a Peach Belt Conference volleyball match Saturday afternoon at Flagler Gymnasium.

Rebekah Machovec finished with a .378 hitting percentage and added seven digs for Flagler (14-6 overall, 4-2 PBC). Karlie Redfern added 14 kills while Jordan Taylor chipped in with eight kills and three block assists. Kennedy Muff notched her fifth double-double of the season as she had 46 assists and 10 digs. Kayla Norelli collected a match-high 23 digs.

Alyssa Hansen led Francis Marion (12-9, 1-3) with 19 kills and she added nine digs. Kayla Arthur came off the bench to provide 11 kills, five digs, and four total blocks. Finn Millians tallied 47 assists while Natalie Vaughn paced the defense with 20 digs.

The match throughout was closely contested, as there were 35 ties and 12 lead changes.

In the first set, no team had a lead larger than four points. After a Courtney Abdur-Rahim kill cut the Patriots deficit to one (23-22), the Saints called a timeout. Taylor's kill gave Flagler set point. A hitting error by Francis Marion ended the first set.

The second set saw 12 ties and four lead changes. A service error by the Patriots tied the score at 23. Abdur-Rahim recorded a kill on the next rally and Iyania Thigpen finished with a kill of her own on set point. Hansen had seven kills for the Patriots while Rebekah Machovec had six for the Saints.

Rebekah Machovec and Redfern each had four kills in the third set as the Saints won 25-20. Flagler hit .364 with 14 kills and just two errors on 33 swings.

The Saints trailed late in the fourth set, but managed to close the gap on several occasions to one point. Flagler trailed 22-19, which prompted a timeout. Rebekah Machovec got a kill coming out of the quick break and Norelli served an ace to close the game to one (22-21). After a Patriot timeout, Victoria Bowrosen answered with a spike to tie the set. She added another kill to Flagler its first lead (23-22) since 13-12. A hitting error by the Patriots made it match point, but a Hansen kill kept Francis Marion alive. Bowrosen finished off the match with a kill. She hit .750 in the set and had six digs.

Flagler is back on the road for three matches next week. The Saints open at North Greenville University on Friday at 7 p.m. at Tigerville, South Carolina.

NOTE: Flagler honored its alumni who came back and played a match in the morning. The 2009 NCAA Division II team who reached the national semifinals were honored, marking the 10-year anniversary of that memorable season.

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