Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 FLORENCE, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball program continued its stellar start, recording victories over Mars Hill and Lees-McRae Saturday on the final day of the Francis Marion Invitational.

The Pacers knocked off Mars Hill 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22) and Lees-McRae 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-20). With the victories, the team improves to 3-1 on the young season.

In the first match of the day, Leah Rodgers totaled a team-high 10 kills. Shawn Hotson added nine while Ashley Diedrich, Endea Ellison and Taylor Stratton had eight each.

Amanda Bologna distributed a match-high 28 assists while Sheila Walsh amassed 17. Hotson sliced the defense for four aces while Katie Toman found the floor three times on her serves.

Toman led the defense with a team-high 25 digs while Hotson tallied 19. Walsh earned a double-double by accounting for 11. Ellison was a huge force at the net, assisting on five blocks. Rodgers and Stratton each had two block assists.  

The Pacers started the match by reeling off 11 of the first 16 points, thanks in part to kills by Ellison, Tierney, Diedrich and Rodgers. During the huge run, Bologna's serving put the defense out of position, allowing USC Aiken to produce easy digs and get the offense going strong.

Up by seven, 23-16, the Pacers saw MHC reel off four straight points. However, Ellison's kill and Toman's ace ended the set.

After dropping the second stanza, the third set featured a back-and-forth affair in the early going. Tied at 8-8, USC Aiken went on an 8-3 run. Stratton and Ellison combined for a block before Rodgers slammed down a pass from Bologna. Rodgers accounted for two more kills during the spurt.

With the score 21-19 in favor of the Pacers, kills by Hotson and an ace by Hotson completed the set, giving USC Aiken a 2-1 advantage.

Up by six in the fourth set, the Pacers were unable to convert, allowing MHC to pull within three at 18-15. The squads traded points, but the designated visitors pulled within two. However, Hotson answered with back-to-back kills for the final two points of the match.   

Against LMC, the Pacers used a well-balanced attack as three players shared team-high honors with five kills apiece. Walsh and Bologna dished out 12 assists apiece. Monica Cardona posted a match-high three aces to go along with her match-best 15 digs.

Aly Johnson was in on five block assists while Ellison and Stratton notched four block assists apiece. Rodgers chipped in three block assists.

In the first set, Tierney's kill and a combined block by Johnson and Stratton, along with two LMC miscues, gave the Pacers a 4-0 edge.

The team pushed its advantage to eight on an error, making it 18-10. The Pacers did not look back, easily closing out the set when Johnson and Rodgers combined to stuff an attempt.

The Pacers were never challenged in the second frame, leading by as many as eight when Toman found an empty spot for her serve, registering an ace. Johnson and Tierney ended the set by notching a block.

The squads played even for the first 20 points of the third set. After USC Aiken fell behind by three, the team evened the set at 16-16. After trading the next two points, the Pacers went on an 8-3 spurt to close the match.

USC Aiken returns to action on Wednesday, Sept. 11 when the squad hosts Lander in a Peach Belt Conference showdown. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. start.