BANNER ELK, N.C. – Youth and exuberance led the University of South Carolina Aiken women's volleyball team to open their 2010 season with a record of 1-1 on the first day of the 2010 Carolina Challenge against some of the toughest competition in the Southeast Region. The Pacers started the day by knocking off tournament host Lees-McRae, 3-2, before finding themselves on the losing side of another close 3-2 battle to the Saints of Flagler College at Williams Gymnasium on Friday.

In the first game of the tournament for the Pacers, youth was served as head coach Glenn Cox's squad opened the 2010 season in dramatic fashion downing region foe Lees-McRae, 3-2. The Pacers downed the 2009 Conference Carolina regular season and tournament champions over the five-game match 25-21, 20-25, 25-19, 22-25, and were able to secure the win in the fifth set of the match, 15-12.

In a match that favored neither side, preseason All-Peach Belt Conference outside hitter Shannon Byers (Morristown, Minn./Faribault) led all players with 16 kills including one service ace and was the only Pacer to acquire double digit kills in their first match of the season. Byers just missed out on a double-double with nine digs.

Senior Megan Disney (Knoxville, Tenn./Karns) also just missed out on her first double-double of the season with nine kills and nine total blocks while the freshman duo of Emily Maassen (Ellisville, Mo./Marquette) and Leah Rodgers (Longwood, Fla./Lake Mary) both stepped up big in their college debut with eight kills a-piece. Sophomore setter Ashley Farwell (Wake Forest, N.C./Wake Forest Rolesville) recorded 23 assists in the contest while Samantha Lukralle (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) led the defense for the Pacers with 14 digs.

Whitney Justice recorded 15 kills while Megan Epperson tied Lukralle for most digs in the contest with 14 to lead Lees-McRae in the match.

The Pacers held a slight advantage over the Bobcats with 149 total attacks to Lees-McRae's 137. USC Aiken's blockers also stepped up knocking down 23 blocks compared to Lees-McRae's 17.

The young and feisty Pacers appeared to be on their way to completing a tough sweep over two teams who competed in the 2009 NCAA tournament, but the PBC pre-season favorite Saints of Flagler squeezed out a close win 3-2 over USC Aiken.

The Pacers showed that they will be a force to contend with during the 2010 campaign as they continued their early success leading at some point during four of the five games in their match with the 2009 PBC regular season and tournament champion Saints as they went 23-25, 25-14, 28-26 and 25-27 through the first four games. However, the Saints were able to take the final game 5-15 over the Pacers.

Byers continued to show her hitting strength leading the Pacers with 14 kills, and acquiring her first double-double of the season by corralling in 14 digs. Freshman power hitter Maassen stepped up again with 10 kills of her own along with six total blocks.

Sophomore setting duo Farwell and Alex Petock (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) combined for 43 assists with Farwell recording 27 and Petock chipping in 16 of her own. Lukralle continued to lead the Pacer back row with 18 digs, leading all players in the match.

Flagler's Meg Wethersby led all players in the match with 27 kills to go along with 13 digs while teammate Crystal Niederrieter contributed 18 kills of her own.

The teams were well matched statistically including being even in killing percentage (.157). Flagler's 69 kills compared to USC Aiken's 54 proved to be the deciding factor in the match.

USC Aiken will open the second day of the Carolina Challenge with a morning match against the Sail Fish of Palm Beach Atlantic before closing the curtains on their season-opening tournament with an afternoon match against the Cobras of Coker College. The Pacers and Sail Fish will get things started bright and early at 10 a.m. with the USC Aiken-Coker game to follow at 3:30 p.m.