AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team posted back-to-back victories Friday evening in front of a large crowd in its home opener. The Pacers downed Limestone 3-0 and Anderson 3-1 in two region battles.

The Pacers are now 5-1 on the season. 

USC Aiken bested Limestone by scores of 25-23, 25-16 and 25-17.

In the opening win over Limestone, the Pacers did not need much time en route to the victory. After fighting off the pesky Saints in the first set 25-23, the squad reeled off back-to-back wins by nearly double-digit margins with scores of 25-16 and 25-17.

Leading the way was Ashley Diedrich, who posted a match-high 10 kills. Aly Johnson had a spectacular performance with eight kills against just one error for a .538 attack percentage. Sheila Walsh posted a .400 attack percentage from her setter position.

Walsh contributed with 33 assists and nearly had a double-double by notching nine digs. Defensively, Shawn Hotson and Katie Toman shared match-high honors with 12 digs apiece. Monica Cardona accounted for 11 digs. At the net, Johnson and Hines had four total blocks each while Walsh chipped in three block assists.

Behind the service line, the Pacers accounted for eight aces. Diedrich notched a match-best three while Walsh and Cardona had two each. Toman chipped in the other ace.

The squad also recorded a .162 attack percentage against just .067 for the visitors.

The first set was close throughout and the Pacers were tied with the Saints at 12. USC Aiken was never able to gain a huge lead, but after Limestone pulled within one at 23-22, Taylor Stratton buried a pass from Walsh for a two-point edge. Diedrich's kill solidified the win in the set.

USC Aiken jumped out to a 7-1 lead thanks in part to Toman's dynamic serving, forcing errors on the other squad. The Pacers never looked back and held a 10-point edge when Alicia Hines blasted home a pass from Walsh to make it 17-7. The teams virtually traded points the rest of the way and Aly Johnson's kill ended the set.

In the third stanza, USC Aiken fell behind 15-14, but an error tied the match. The miscue marked the first of four straight by the Saints, which gave the Pacers the momentum. USC Aiken completed the win as Walsh's kill off a pass from Monica Cardona gave head coach Glenn Cox's team an eight-point victory.

In the nightcap, the Pacers downed Anderson 3-1 by scores of 25-16, 24-26, 25-16, 25-15.

USC Aiken hit .286 as a team. Diedrich posted a match-best 14 kills while Hannah Tierney and Stratton added 11 and 10, respectively. Hotson and Walsh chipped in nine and eight, respectively.

Walsh dished out a match-high 45 assists and chipped in 11 assists to go along with two aces. Cardona had a match-best 32 digs while Diedrich (19), Hotson (13), Walsh (11) and Toman (10) all reached double figures.

Defensively, Tierney was a force at the net, tallying seven blocks, including one solo. The Pacers amassed 13 block assists in the contest.

In the first set, it was a two-point contest at 13-11, but Tierney's kill pushed the lead to three. Cox's team extended the margin to eight with Diedrich serving and attack errors by the visitors. Johnson had a huge kill in the spurt while Hotson pushed the margin to 24-13. An attack error gave the Pacers the set.

USC Aiken dropped the second stanza by just two, but rallied back to take the next two frames.

In the third set, Cox's squad jumped out to a 4-0 edge behind two blocks from Tierney and one by Diedrich and one by Stratton. The Pacers pushed the lead to 8-2 when Tierney hammered home a pass from Walsh.

The teams would then start to trade points, but USC Aiken maintained a large enough lead to never be threatened. In fine fashion, Hotson and Tierney stuffed an attack to win the set, 25-16.

The Pacers continued with the momentum in what turned out to be the final set, taking a 6-1 lead after falling behind 1-0. Walsh had two aces during the run and the dyad of Diedrich and Tierney registered a block.

USC Aiken stretched the lead to double figures at 22-12 on Walsh's shot to the corner. Johnson and Stratton added kills and an attack error gave the home squad the win.

The Pacers return to action tomorrow at 12 p.m., when they take on Palm Beach Atlantic.