ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The third-seeded University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team closed out its 2012 campaign with a 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 32-30, 25-20) loss to sixth-seeded Lander in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Quarterfinals at Flagler Gymnasium.

USC Aiken (18-13) opened the quarterfinal match by claiming a 25-20 win in the first set. Lander (15-16) would then acquire a 25-21 win in the second set.

USC Aiken looked as if it would take the third set with the Pacers owning match point at 24-21. Lander would nevertheless battle its way back into the set to send the game into extra points.

Lander would eventually collect a 32-30 win in the set to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the fourth set, Lander jumped out to a 10-2 lead. The Pacers would pull to within three in the set at 22-19, but the Bearcats would go on to claim a 25-20 win in the fourth game to obtain the 3-1 match victory.

USC Aiken closed out its season-ending loss to Lander hitting .140 as a team. Lander hit .128 in its win. The Bearcats owned a 9-7 total team block advantage in the match.

Junior Leah Rodgers (Longwood, Fla./Lake Mary HS) led two Pacers with double-figure kills with a career-high 21 kills. 

Ashley Diedrich (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS) was the only other Pacer with double-digit kills. The freshman ended the Pacer loss with 13 kills, a career-best 32 digs and five blocks. She also had two service aces.

USC Aiken all-time digs leader Samantha Lukralle (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst HS) finished her final match in a Pacer uniform with a match-high 34 digs. 

Senior Shannon Byers (Morristown, Minn./Faribault HS) ended her Pacer career with 19 digs and eight kills. 

Senior Ashley Farwell (Wake Forest, N.C./Wake Forest-Rolesville HS) concluded her final match as a Pacer with a double-double with 24 assists and 12 digs.

Sophomore Sheila Walsh (Fort Mill, S.C./Nation Ford HS) ended her evening with a team-best 28 assists. 

Tarryn Angermeier was the top performer for Lander with 19 kills. Madison Kubal led the Bearcats with 25 digs. Jessica Register paced the Lander attack with 40 assists.