MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Lander volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to force a fifth set in Friday afternoon's Peach Belt Conference tournament quarterfinal match against Francis Marion, but the fifth-seeded Bearcats fell, 3-2, to the fourth-seeded Patriots. Game scores were: 20-25, 25-21, 25-17, 19-25, 15-11.

Lander falls to 21-11 on the season, while Francis Marion improves to 16-12.

Halle Dotson led the Bearcat attack with 24 kills and a hitting percentage of .344, while Khiani Kelly added 18 on the day. Sophia Perkins tallied 30 assists and 20 digs, while Katie Haake registered 21 assists. Hannah McManus and Amanda Medlock each finished with 21 digs, while Kendall Korte added 19. Dotson and Reilly Kunstler each recorded five block assists

Lander jumped out to an early 6-0 in the first set and built a 20-9 lead before holding off an FMU rally to claim the first set.

In the second set, it was Francis Marion that seized early momentum, leading 6-1 early and taking an 18-11 lead midway through the set. An ace from Hannah McManus capped a 6-0 Bearcat run that trimmed the deficit to 18-17, but the Patriots held to even the score.

After battling to an 8-8 tie in the third set, FMU exploded for a 7-0 run to take control of the set. Down 2-1 in the match, Lander fought back behind five kills from Dale Rogers to win the fourth set.

The Patriots took a 6-2 lead in the fifth set, but a Katie Haake ace highlighted a 4-2 Lander run that cut the FMU lead to 8-6. However, back-to-back errors gave Francis Marion a 10-6 advantage and the Patriots held on for the win.

The Bearcats will learn their postseason fate on Monday night during the NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Selection Show. Lander will be looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.