AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team registered a pair of victories Saturday, defeating Tusculum and Lincoln Memorial.

The Pacers improve to 15-3 on the season.

Against the Pioneers, USC Aiken was paced by Ashley Diedrich's 21 kills and 12 digs. Aly Johnson hammered home 12 kills while hitting .500.

Emily Teelon totaled a double-double with 34 assists and 11 digs while Lauren Howard distributed 20 assists.

Defensively, Katie Toman accounted for 23 digs while Shawn Hotson added 15. Danielle Mercer also reached double figures with 11 digs.

The squad hit .340 while limiting Tusculum to .162. The Pacers had 67 kills compared to 38 for the visitors in the four-set match.

After losing the first set 25-14, head coach Glenn Cox's team reeled off wins by scores of 25-13, 25-17 and 25-16 for the victory.

In the second frame, USC Aiken trailed 1-0 before embarking on a 6-0 run for a lead it would never relinquish. USC Aiken stretched the margin to 22-9 on a kill by Johnson en route to the 25-13 victory.

USC Aiken jumped on top of the third stanza by a 10-4 score thanks in part to a 4-0 run. During the spurt, Diedrich hammered home three kills. Cox's team did not allow the Pioneers to get any closer than four points the rest of the way and Diedrich's kill wrapped up the set with a 25-17 victory.

In what turned out to be the final set, USC Aiken slowly pulled away. Johnson's kill made it 18-9 and the squad cruised to the 25-16 victory.

Against the Railsplitters, USC Aiken posted winning scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 25-19.

The squad hit .319 for the match, slamming home 58 kills in the match. Diedrich, Hotson and Johnson all had 11 kills while Taylor Stratton and Ashley Lind had nine and eight, respectively.

Teelon garnered a double-double with 31 assists and 12 digs. Howard dished out 17 assists.

Toman led the team with 21 digs while Mercer (14), Hotson (13) and Teelon all reached double figures.

USC Aiken took an 11-3 lead in the set after Stratton posted two kills and Diedrich three in the opening moments. The Pacers were never threatened in the seven-point victory.

The second set was tighter throughout. Cox's team trailed 21-18, but a 7-0 spurt ended the set. During the run, Johnson had a kill while Hines and Diedrich each had two.

The final set was close until the midway point. Hotson's kill started a spurt, coupled by three attack errors from LMU, helping USC Aiken secure the victory. 

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they host Armstrong State at 7 p.m. Live stats, video and audio will be available at PacerSports.com. The match is sponsored by Chick-Fil-A Aiken with giveaways and prizes.