ATLANTA – The University of South Carolina Aiken Volleyball team split two matches on Tuesday at the Woodruff Physical Education Center on the campus of Emory University.

The Pacers opened their day with a 3-2 win over West Georgia before falling 3-1 to NCAA Division III national No. 4 Emory.

USC Aiken (5-5) will next participate in its final tournament in September as they will travel to Savannah, Ga. for the second time this year to compete in an Armstrong Atlantic State Tournament.

The Pacers will commence the Pirate South/Southeast Challenge by squaring off with head coach Glenn Cox's alma mater Valdosta State at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16. USC Aiken will play two matches on Saturday, Sept. 17, beginning with an 11 a.m. match against Sunshine State Conference opponent Rollins. USC Aiken will close the tournament with a match against NCAA Division II power North Alabama at 1 p.m.

USC Aiken 3, West Georgia 2 (Match One)

USC Aiken battled all the way back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat West Georgia, 3-2 (21-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-17, 15-11).

The Pacers ended the match hitting .204 as a team. West Georgia hit .123.

Leah Rodgers (Longwood, Fla./Lake Mary) led the Pacers in the match with 17 kills and three blocks. Rodgers also had five digs.

Shannon Byers (Morristown, Minn./Faribault) claimed her fifth double-double of the year in the match with a match-high 20 digs to go along with 15 kills. Reigning Peach Belt Conference Libero of the Year Samantha Lukralle (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) was just behind Byers in total digs in the match with 18.

Susan MacClary (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) just missed on double-digit kills in the match with nine kills.

Sheila Walsh (Fort Mill, S.C./Nation Ford) acquired 23 assists to go along with nine digs. In her first action of the year, Alex Petock (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) had 16 assists in the Pacer victory over West Georgia (4-7).

Emily Reul led the Wolves of West Georgia with 17 kills. Melissa Holt finished West Georgia's five-set loss to USC Aiken with 18 digs.

Emory 3, USC Aiken 1 (Match Two) 

USC Aiken carried its momentum from its first match win into the second match by winning the first set against Emory, 25-23.

The Pacers would not be able to hold on though as they lost the next three to fall, 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-18), to NCAA Division III No. 4 Emory (8-1). 

Rodgers once again led the Pacers in kills in the four-set loss to Emory. She finished with 11 kills.

Hannah Tierney (Winchester, Va./James Wood) was the only other Pacer with double-digit kills in the loss to Eagles, ending the match with 10.

Byers and Lukralle both acquired over 20 digs in the loss to the Eagles with Byers leading all in the match with 26 digs. Lukralle corralled in 23 digs in the match.

Emory's Amelia McCall (13) and Breenah Borque (11) both had double-digit kills in the win over the Pacers. Sarah Taub ended the win over the Pacers with 15 digs.