Box Score NEWBERRY, S.C. – Senior
Sheila Walsh had a career match as did junior
Ashley Diedrich as both helped the University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team record a 3-2 victory over King Saturday evening in the final match of the Newberry Invitational. Game scores were 25-22, 22-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13.
The Pacers improve to 3-1 on the young season.
Sheila Walsh posted a triple-double by notching a team-high 48 assists to go along with 11 kills and 11 digs. She added a pair of aces for good measure.
Diedrich slammed home a match-high 32 kills to go along with 20 digs while hitting .491 in the win.
Hannah Tierney also reached double figures with 11 kills while posting a .500 hitting percentage. From her libero position,
Monica Cardona notched a rare double-double with 24 digs and 12 assists.
In addition to Walsh,
Shawn Hotson and
Katie Toman had two aces apiece while Cardona chipped in one.
The Pacers trailed 20-16 in the opening set but regrouped after a kill from
Aly Johnson, making it 20-17. Diedrich's point pulled the squad within two before the teams traded points. Another miscue by King evened the score and Diedrich's kill made it a 22-21 game.
Leading 23-22, an error by the designated visitors and a kill from Tierney gave the Pacres a 25-22 win in the first frame.
After dropping the next two, USC Aiken was forced to execute properly in the fourth set in order to extend the match.
With the score tied at 17, Diedrich's kill sparked a 4-0 run to essentially put the set out of reach. During the spurt, Tierney and Walsh added kills. USC Aiken forced the fifth set when Hotson sliced the defense with an ace.
The teams traded points for much of the deciding fifth stanza, but the Pacers found themselves down 12-11 after an attack error. However, Walsh's kill knotted the contest. A mistake by King gave USC Aiken a 13-12 edge and Diedrich made it a two-point contest with another kill. After a point by King, Stratton ended the match by slamming through the defense for the 15-13 win.
The Pacers return to action Friday when they host the USC Aiken Invitational. The team takes on Limestone at 3 p.m., and Anderson at 7 p.m. Live stats, video and audio will be available at PacerSports.com.
The Pacers tallied a .281 hitting percentage.
