CHARLOTTE – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team opened the Johnson C. Smith Tournament with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-23) win over previously unbeaten Fayetteville State.

USC Aiken (7-5) closed out its dominating win over Fayetteville State (7-1) hitting .469 as a team. 

Two Pacers finished with double-digit kills.

Ashley Diedrich (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS) led the Pacers with 14 kills, while Shannon Byers closed out the match with 12 kills.

Byers (Morristown, Minn./Faribault HS) also added 10 digs to claim a double-double in the match. 

Two Pacers in total finished with double-digit digs in the match with Claire Patten claiming a match-high 15 digs.

Sheila Walsh (Fort Mill, S.C./Nation Ford HS) and Ashley Farwell (Wake Forest, N.C./Wake Forest-Rolesville HS) facilitated the Pacer attack. Walsh ended the match with 18 assists, while Farwell was just behind with 17 assists. 

Hannah Tierney (Winchester, Va./James Wood HS) led the Pacers with four blocks. 

Joi Emanuel claimed eight kills for Fayetteville State in its loss. 

The Pacers will close the Johnson C. Smith Tournament with two matches on Saturday, Sept. 22. USC Aiken will first face tournament host Johnson C. Smith at 11 a.m. The Pacers will conclude the tournament with a 1 p.m. match against St. Augustine's.