Box Score AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team pushed No. 23 Armstrong to extra points in two sets, but came up just short in a 3-0 loss Friday evening. Set scores were 26-28, 15-25, 27-29.

In the opening set, neither team could gain much of an advantage. The squads traded points with neither taking more than a three-point margin at any point of the frame.

The Pacers jumped out to a 4-1 edge thanks in part to a kill by Leah Rodgers and three miscues by the Pirates. Tied at 23, Taylor Stratton slammed home a ball for a 24-23 advantage. However, the visitors reeled off two straight points for a 25-24 edge.

USC Aiken battled back, knotting the score on a kill by Endea Ellison. After a point by the Pirates, Ashley Diedrich took a pass from Sheila Walsh and buried it onto the court, forcing yet another tie. However, Armstrong registered two straight points to take the first set.

In the second stanza, head coach Glenn Cox's team found itself trailing 13-5 after a few errors by the home team. However, the young team would not give up. The Pacers pulled within six when Hannah Tierney and Aly Johnson stuffed an opposing attack, but it was as close as the team could get in the set. Stratton and Ellison each had kills late in the period, but USC Aiken could not pull out the victory.

USC Aiken once again forced extra points in the third frame. After battling back-and-forth throughout the set, taking one-point leads on several occasions. The team also battled back from a two-point deficit when it was 21-19. Rodgers slammed home a pass from Amanda Bologna and four straight errors by the Pirates gave the Pacers a 24-21 lead. However, Armstrong battled back, tying it at 24.

Cox's team fell behind by one, but an error knotted the contest at 25. Trailing by one again, Ellison and Ashley Lind blocked a shot, making it 26 all. The Pacers took a 27-26 lead on a block by Ellison and Diedrich, but the nationally-ranked squad reeled off three straight points to take the match.

For the match, Stratton narrowly missed a double-double performance with nine kills and nine digs. Johnson and Lind had five kills each while Diedrich and Rogers chipped in two. Sheila Walsh paced the team with 18 assists while Bologna accounted for 10.

Defensively, Danielle Mercer led the squad with 14 digs. At the net, Ellison was in on three blocks while Diedrich amassed two block assists. Hannah Tierney, Lind and Johnson each had a block assist.  

The Pacers return to action tomorrow at 2 p.m. when they host Flagler. The match has also been designated Senior Day as Endea Ellison and Leah Rodgers will be honored prior to the contest.