AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team was not able to withstand a late Flagler charge in a five-set 3-2 (21-25, 27-25, 20-25, 25-16, 15-11) loss to the visiting Saints on Friday evening at the Convocation Center.

USC Aiken (8-11, 3-3 PBC) opened the match by taking two of the first three sets. Flagler would win the next two sets to claim the overall match victory.

Flagler (13-5, 5-1 PBC) as a team finished the match hitting .232. The Pacers ended their efforts hitting .181 as a team. The Pacers owned an 8-4 block advantage as a team.

Three Pacers concluded the narrow Pacer loss with double-digit kills with Shannon Byers (Morristown, Minn./Faribault) and Hannah Tierney (Winchester, Va./James Wood) leading the Pacer charge with each producing 11 kills. Byers claimed a double-double in the match as she also finished with 19 digs.

Leah Rodgers (Longwood, Fla./Lake Mary) was the final Pacer with double-digit kills as she secured 10 kills in the match.

Pacer libero Samantha Lukralle (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) acquired a team-high 23 digs. She also had three service aces.

USC Aiken setter Ashley Farwell (Wake Forest, N.C./Wake Forest-Rolesville) also claimed a double-double in the match as she ended things with a team-high 24 assists to go along with 11 digs. Sheila Walsh (Fort Mill, S.C./Nation Ford) just missed on a double-double with 23 assists and eight digs.

Claire Patten (Boulder, Colo./Mercer) was the final Pacer with double-digit digs as she had 10 in the Pacer loss.

The Flagler offense was led by four players with double-digit kills with Dianna Craine and Rachel Stacy leading the way for the Saints with 16 kills each.

Flagler libero Casey Gnann led five Saints with double-digit kills. She ended the match with 34.

Reigning Sports Imports/AVCA Division II National Player of the Week Olivia Snipes finished the Flagler win with 57 assists.

On Saturday, Oct. 8, USC Aiken will play host to a tri-match at the Convocation Center. USC Aiken will first play host to nationally-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State at 2 p.m. The Pacers will close their efforts on the week against Bentley at approximately 6 p.m. Armstrong and Bentley will take the court against one another in-between USC Aiken's two matches.

The tri-match is part of USC Aiken's "Dig for the Cure" weekend. The Pacers will be accepting donations all weekend for the fight against breast cancer.