FLORENCE, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team earned a 3-0 sweep at Francis Marion Friday evening in the PBC opener. Set scores were 25-22, 25-17 and 25-21.

The Pacers improve to 7-2 overall and are now 1-0 against Peach Belt Conference foes.

The Pacers fell behind 3-1 in the first set, but the team quickly rallied for a 10-5 edge. During the run, Monica Cardona sliced the defense for an ace as did Ashley Diedrich. Diedrich and Sheila Walsh powered home kills.

The Patriots battled back, pulling within one at 18-17, but Taylor Stratton's kill and a ball handling error by the home team gave the Pacers an advantage they would not relinquish en route to the 25-17 first set win.

The squads were tied, 4-4, in the second stanza before head coach Glenn Cox's team reeled off eight of the next nine points. During the spurt, Katie Toman registered an ace. Diedrich hammered home a pair of kills as did Shawn Hotson. Aly Johnson and Diedrich combined for two blocks.

USC Aiken slowly pulled away. Leading 23-15, the Pacers saw the home team register back-to-back points. However, a kill by Diedrich and a miscue by the Patriots secured the 25-17 win in the second stanza.

In the third stanza, it was a back-and-forth affair. The teams were tied at 20 just before Stratton buried a kill off a pass from Walsh. Diedrich found open spots on the floor on back-to-back plays. Diedrich and Alicia Hines blocked an attempt, giving the team a 24-20 lead. After a point by the Patriots, Hines finished the match by slamming home a kill.

For the match, Diedrich led the team with 13 kills. Stratton added eight kills while Johnson chipped in six.

Walsh posted a double-double with 30 assists and 12 digs. Cardona and Diedrich added 12 and 10 digs, respectively. At the service line, Diedrich posted a team-best two aces while Cardona, Toman and Walsh all had one. Diedrich and Johnson added three and two block assists, respectively.

The Pacers return to action Saturday at UNC Pembroke. The match starts at 2 p.m.