FLORENCE, S.C. – The Barton women's volleyball team (10-18) saw its season come to an end after splitting a pair of five-setters Sunday afternoon at the Smith University Center and Pearl Moore Basketball Center in the opening rounds of the 2023 Conference Carolinas Championship.
Barton 3, Young Harris 2
The Bulldogs held on to beat the Mountain Lions by scores of 25-18, 25-19, 12-25, 20-25 and 16-14. Barton was the 11th seed while Young Harris (10-17) was seeded eighth.
Barton junior outside hitter
Henly Sleight (Jackson, Mich.) finished with a match-high 20 kills and 15 digs as the Bulldogs rallied from a 13-6 deficit in the fifth and final set to survive the first contest. Barton senior outside hitter
Allison Gambill (Hickory, N.C.) added 14 kills and 16 digs as the Bulldogs avenged an earlier loss to the Mountain Lions.
For Young Harris, Lily Hidalgo (St. Simons Island, Ga.) totaled 21 kills and 17 digs in the losing effort.
Francis Marion 3, Barton 2
The Patriots rallied from a 2-1 deficit and beat the Bulldogs by scores of 25-12, 18-25, 23-25, 26-24 and 15-12 to advance to the final six of the championship.
Francis Marion, which beat Barton for the third time in five sets this season, was led by Caroline Lucas (Easley, S.C.) with 23 kills while Kaylee Gillespie (Pickens, S.C.) tallied a double-double – 49 assists and 21 digs – in the victory.
Gambill totaled 25 kills and 16 digs for her 17th double-double on the year while Sleight finished with 19 kills but it wasn't enough for the Bulldogs. Barton junior libero
Lilly Meyer (Greencastle, Ind.) added 23 digs – giving her 53 digs on the day – for the visitors. Gambill finished her collegiate career ranked fourth all-time on the Bulldogs' career kills list with 1,443 and sixth in digs with 1,245.
Fifth-seeded Francis Marion (16-15) next takes on fourth-seeded UNC Pembroke (19-13) in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Friday, November 17, at the North Charleston Athletic Center in North Charleston, S.C., at 5:00 p.m.
