Box Score

AIKEN, S.C. - For the second consecutive match a feisty and extremely young USC Aiken volleyball team acquired a pivotal league win with the Pacers earning a 3-1 victory over Armstrong Atlantic State on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.

The Pacers opened the four-game win over the Pirates by earning a 25-22 win in game one. Armstrong Atlantic State regrouped in the second game by rolling to a 25-13 win that evened the contest at 1-1 entering the 10-minute halftime break.

The Pirate onslaught in the second game would in the end all be for naught with the Pacers easily taking victories in game three (25-19) and game four (25-18) to pick up the win over the 2009 Peach Belt Conference favorite Pirates.

In a weekend that some might have thought unmanageable for the young Pacers coming into the 2009 season, USC Aiken downed the teams picked to finish second (Flagler) and first (Armstrong Atlantic) in the PBC.

The win also improved the young, but dangerous Pacers to an impressive 10-4 in the 2009 campaign. The victory over Armstrong Atlantic State on Saturday earned USC Aiken its second league win of the year to leave them 2-1 on the season in the PBC. Only USC Aiken and Flagler already have two wins in league matches in 2009, but USC Aiken holds the head-to-head with Flagler due to its 3-2 win over the Saints on Friday, Sept. 18 at the Convocation Center.

USC Aiken has now won seven of its last eight matches overall entering two more important PBC matches next weekend. The Pacers will next travel to Florence, S.C. to take on Francis Marion at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25. One day later, USC Aiken will square off against league rival UNC Pembroke at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26.

In the win over Armstrong Atlantic State on Saturday afternoon, USC Aiken was led by four players with double-digit digs. Pacer libero Samantha Lukralle (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) paced USC Aiken in the category with 20 digs. The trio of KD Almaraz (Ventura, Calif./Saint Bonaventure), Lauren Cedeno (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) and Shannon Byers (Morristown, Minn./Faribault) were not far behind Lukralle with Almaraz netting 11 digs and Byers and Cedeno both recording 10 digs.

Cedeno also recorded 29 assists in the victory over AASU.

Lindsay Mortenson (Aliso Viejo, Cali./Santa Margartia Catholic) paced USC Aiken in the match in kills with 11. Jessica Loper (McDonough, Ga./Eagles Landing Christian) acquired seven kills in the match, but she also commandeered five total blocks, including two of the solo variety.