ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The University of South Carolina Aiken earned a 3-1 victory at Flagler Saturday afternoon, marking the first road win for the Pacers in the series. Set scores were 25-21, 21-25, 27-25 and 25-17.

The Pacers are now 13-5 overall, including a 7-3 mark against conference competition.

Head coach Glenn Cox's team was paced by Ashley Diedrich's match-high 12 kills. Julia Forster and Taylor Stratton also reached double digits as both recorded 10 kills.

Sheila Walsh paced the offense with 36 assists to go along with 10 digs for a double-double. She was a force behind the service line, slicing the Saints' defense with three aces.

Defensively, Katie Toman led everyone with a match-best 15 digs. For good measure, she accounted for a match-high four aces. Monica Cardona totaled 12 digs while Diedrich posted 10. Hannah Tierney had the team's lone solo block. She also was in on two blocks while Diedrich had a team-best three block assists.

In the opening frame, the Saints scored the first point but the Pacers responded with a 7-2 spurt. During the run, Tierney had a kill and Toman had one of her aces. Diedrich posted a pair of kills while Forster and Aly Johnson each had one.

The Saints pulled within two at 8-6, but USC Aiken slowly increased its advantage, making it 17-10 when Tierney left no doubt on a superb pass from Walsh. Although Flagler would make it 22-20, two miscues by the home team allowed the Pacers to post the 25-21 win.

After suffering a loss in the second frame, Cox's team responded in fine style in the third set. Although the team led in the early going, Flagler regrouped for a 17-16 lead. The Pacers battled back and the teams traded points. With the score tied at 23, Forster had a kill, but the score was tied a moment later. Tied at 25, Johnson and Diedrich combined for a block, giving the team a one-point edge. Diedrich quickly finished the stanza with an ace.

After an error by Flagler to begin the fourth set, USC Aiken jumped on top by a 3-0 score and would not trail the rest of the way. Although the Saints made it a 19-17 contest USC Aiken embarked on a 6-0 run to win the match. During the spurt, Stratton, Forster and Tierney had kills while Diedrich and Tierney combined for a block. Toman's ace wrapped up the match for the visitors.  

USC Aiken recorded 12 aces while the team allowed just six. Cox's squad also hit .201 for the match.

The Pacers return to action Tuesday when they host Johnson C. Smith in a non-conference affair slated for 7 p.m., in the Convocation Center.