Box Score AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team earned a quick 3-0 sweep over visiting Georgia College Wednesday evening. Set scores were 25-16, 25-17 and 25-19.

The Pacers improve to 16-8 overall and 8-5 against conference competition.

Leading the way for head coach Glenn Cox's team during the quick 68-minute match, Ashley Diedrich slammed home nine kills while Endea Ellison had an outstanding performance with eight. Senior standout Leah Rodgers chipped in six kills as did Hannah Tierney. Ashley Lind added three while Sheila Walsh and Shawn Hotson had two and one, respectively.

Walsh led the offense with a team-best 15 assists while Amanda Bologna added 13. At the service line, Monica Cardona totaled game-high accolades with two aces. Walsh notched two aces.

Defensively, Cardona led all student-athletes with 26 digs. Hotson reached double figures with 10. Katie Toman totaled seven while Diedrich, Walsh, Bologna and Rodgers had five apiece.

At the net, the seniors amassed four block assists each to lead everyone. Tierney was in on three blocks while Diedrich got her hands on two attempts.

USC Aiken opened the match with a 2-0 lead and widened the margin to 10-5 on an error by Georgia College. However, the visitors pulled within one at 13-12, but Tierney pounded home a pass from Walsh for a 14-12 advantage. The run sparked a 4-0 run by the Pacers thanks in part to three errors by the Bobcats.

Leading 20-16, Ellison notched a kill, pushing the margin to five. Then, two straight errors made it 23-16 prior to Lind and Ellison stuffing an attack. Ellison ended the set with a powerful kill between two defenders for the 25-16 win.

In the second stanza, the Pacers wasted little time in taking a 10-4 lead behind the dominant service ability from Walsh. With Walsh at the line, USC Aiken reeled off six straight points.

The Bobcats pulled within two at 14-12, but Diedrich answered the bell with a kill off a pass from Bologna. Diedrich hammered home an over pass for another kill, making it 16-12.

With the score 17-14, Rodgers produced back-to-back kills for a 19-14 edge. After an error by the Bobcats, Rodgers drilled the court for another point. A miscue by Georgia College made it 22-14 and then Ellison and Rodgers combined for a block. USC Aiken earned two more points off errors to earn the win.

In the final set, USC Aiken jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but quickly found itself trailing 13-9. The Pacers would not give up, quickly evening the set at 18 on an ace by Cardona. Two attack errors by the Bobcats forced a time-out. After the break, USC Aiken garnered two more points before the visitors broke through for a score.

Leading 24-19, Bologna sliced the defense for an ace to clinch the match. 

For the game, USC Aiken hit .136 while holding the Bobcats to a -.008 attack percentage. Cox's team also forced the visitors into 24 attack errors.   

The Pacers have a few days to rest before returning to action on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. USC Aiken will host GRU Augusta in the final home match for the 2013 campaign – and the last one in the Convocation Center for seniors Endea Ellison and Leah Rodgers.