WINGATE, N.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team lost a hard-fought 3-0 match against Carson-Newman in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday morning. Set scores were 24-26, 27-29, 23-25.

The Pacers' season comes to an end with a 21-9 mark.

Taylor Stratton led the team with 10 kills. Ashley Diedrich and Sheila Walsh added eight kills apiece while Hannah Tierney chipped in six.

Walsh distributed 32 assists and had nine digs in the process. Defensively, Monica Cardona totaled 21 digs while Diedrich compiled nine. Diedrich also accounted for a match-best four aces.

USC Aiken found itself behind in the opening set, 7-3, but rallied back. Diedrich and Walsh hammered home kills and after a point by the visitors, Shawn Hotson answered with a kill of her own. Diedirch corrected a mistake by slicing the defense for three straight aces and a 9-8 advantage. However, the Eagles tied the set and the teams went back-and-forth with neither gaining much of an edge.

The Pacers trailed 22-18, but Hotson slammed home a kill and Stratton blasted the defense for two more. Hotson served up an ace, tying the contest at 22. USC Aiken took a 24-23 lead, but an attack error tied the set. C-N scored the last two, taking the set 26-24.

The Pacers opened up a seven-point edge at 15-8 in the second stanza off Diedrich's kill. After the squads traded a few points, Diedrich's ace and kill provided the team with a 20-11 lead. However, the Eagles managed to tie the set at 24. Walsh took a pass from Katie Toman for a kill for a one-point edge, but the Pacers were unable to close out the frame in the 29-27 loss.

USC Aiken looked poised to claim the third set, but it was not meant to be. The team grabbed a 9-6 lead when Alicia Hines registered a kill. Walsh's kill pushed the lead to 15-10. The Pacers managed to maintain the lead until a kill by the visitors made it a 22-21 score for C-N. Diedrich tallied a kill, knotting the set and two points later, Tierney posted a kill for the 23-all tie. However, a blocking error and an attack error ended the match for USC Aiken.    

It marked the last match of the outstanding careers for Hannah Tierney and Sheila Walsh.   

Replay of the match & postgame interview (1:40 mark)