Box Score AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina volleyball team lost a 3-1 decision to Flagler Friday evening in the regular-season finale. Set scores were 25-5, 24-26, 19-25 and 21-25.
The Pacers are now 21-7 overall and finished Peach Belt Conference play with a 13-5 mark.
Leading the way for the Pacers was
Ashley Diedrich, who accounted for a team-best 13 kills.
Taylor Stratton notched 10 kills while
Julia Forster posted nine.
Hannah Tierney and
Alicia Hines added seven and six, respectively.
Sheila Walsh posted a match-best 43 assists to go along with eight digs. Defensively,
Monica Cardona posted 25 digs while
Katie Toman and
Shawn Hotson tallied 12 and 10, respectively.
At the net, Diedrich was in on four blocks while Forster posted three. Tierney amassed two while
Alicia Hines and
Aly Johnson each had one.
After limiting the Saints to a mere -.138 attack percentage in the opening set, USC Aiken allowed the visitors to hit .424 in the second frame.
Head coach
Glenn Cox's team jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind the strong serving of Walsh. During the spurt, Diedrich had a pair of kills as did Tierney.
USC Aiken made it a double-digit affair at 13-3 on an ace by Diedrich. The team went on runs of 6-0, 7-0 and 9-0 during the set en route to the 25-5 win.
In the second stanza, the Pacers maintained a 21-16 lead after a block by Diedrich and Tierney. However, the Saints rallied back, pulling within one at 21-20. Stratton had a kill and Tierney added two, making a 24-22 contest. Cox's team was unable to finish off Flagler as the visitors netted the next four points in the 26-24 win.
After the third set, USC Aiken found itself in an unusual position, trailing 2-1. The Pacers and Saints had a back-and-forth affair in the fourth frame, but the visitors managed to maintain a slight edge throughout most of the set. USC Aiken knotted the contest at 21 on an attack error, but the Saints rattled off the next four points to secure the win.
The Pacers return to action Tuesday at 7 p.m., when they host a PBC first-round match. The opponent will be determined tomorrow evening.
