FLORENCE, S.C. – The Queens (5-3 overall, 1-0 SAC) women's volleyball team dropped both of their matches on Friday on day one of the Francis Marion Invitational. The morning started with a hard fought 3-0 loss to Gannon (9-1) before the Royals dropped the nightcap 3-1 to the University of Charleston (7-3).
 
Gannon 3, Queens 0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-21)
 
In the morning matchup, the Royals had their hands full with a nationally renowned attack from Gannon. The Lady Knights are ranked ninth in the country in both hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage. Gannon has struck a .283 hitting percentage while limiting their opposition to a .085 clip this season.
 
The Lady Knights continued their dominant attack as they jolted out to an 8-2 lead early in the first set which forced Royals head coach Hannah Long into a timeout. Queens was never able to get going in the opening frame despite earning the same amount of attacking opportunities as the Lady Knights. With 38 opportunities between the two, Queens hitting percentage was .105 while Gannon struck .316.
 
Queens utilized the break in between sets to regroup and adjust. In the second set, the Royals went point-for-point with the Lady Knights and kept the match as close as 11-9. From there, Gannon would go on an 8-1 run and open the score back up and seal the set. Queens was more successful in the second set on the attack as they hit .182 as a team, however Gannon maintained their dominant offense by hitting .278. The Royals would also commit five attacking errors compared to Gannon's two miscues.
 
The Royals really appeared to be clicking by the third set as Queens led for most of the frame. With the score even early, the Royals went on a quick four-point rally as four different players generated a kill. The quick momentum swing would keep Queens ahead in the match until late in the set. All tied at 16, the two teams would go back-and-forth until the Lady Knights closed on a five-point rally which finished the match.
 
Grace Giunta (Palm City, Fla.) led the attack with 12 kills and a .300 hitting percentage. Jordyn Johnson (Jamestown, N.C.) was just shy of a double-double as the rookie finished with eight kills and 10 digs. For Gannon, Lauren Sampson finished the morning with 16 kills and a .394 hitting percentage
 
Charleston 3, Queens 1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-17)
 
The evening matchup began in the Royals favor as Queens jolted ahead early. Brooke Farley (Fort Mill, S.C.) served up a pair of back-to-back service aces and the Royals had the momentum early. The Golden Eagles would work their way back into the set and took a 13-11 lead. Trailing by two, Queens utilized a four-point rally which was capped off by a Grace Giunta kill. The rally would prove to be enough as the Royals never trailed the rest of the set. In the opening frame, Charleston generated more attacking opportunities at 46-43, but the Royals cashed in by hitting .222 and limiting Charleston to a .093 clip.
 
The Royals appeared to carry that energy and momentum into the second set as they rallied for five points and saw their lead grow to as much as 15-9. The Golden Eagles would not back down and inched back into the set and closed the gap to 21-20. Charleston would finish the second set on an 8-2 run and steal the frame 25-23. The contested set saw Charleston create more attacking opportunities, but this time they cashed in by hitting .176 and holding Queens to .143.
 
Charleston maintained that momentum in the third set as they gained an early lead. The Royals were able to close the gap to 11-9, but they were never able to tie the match as the Golden Eagles stayed ahead and finished on an 8-3 run. Queens suffered a setback on the attack in the third set committing ten attacking errors. The final set was tightly contested early as both teams went point-for-point, but neither team fell behind more than two points. Late in the set, Charleston burst ahead 18-14 and the Royals were not able to mount a comeback.
 
Grace Giunta led the attack in the second match with 11 kills and .321 hitting percentage. On the day, the sophomore tallied 23 kills for the Royals attack. On defense, Loren Johnson (Huntersville, N.C.) garnered 22 digs and Brooke Farley added 15. The Golden Eagles had four players finish with at least 10 kills, and Sage Beamson led the charge with 14.
 
The Royals will return to the court tomorrow for day two of the Francis Marion Invitational. Queens is slated to play the University of Mount Olive at 9:00 a.m. before squaring off with Francis Marion at 1:00 p.m. Be sure to follow the Royals on Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date on all game updates and news.