AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team recorded a 3-2 victory over Flagler Saturday afternoon in a Peach Belt Conference contest.

The Pacers improve to 17-3 on the season, including a 6-3 mark against league foes.

Head coach Glenn Cox's team was paced by Julia Forster's match-high 15 kills. She narrowly missed a double-double with nine digs.

Ashley Diedrich added 12 kills while Taylor Stratton totaled 11. Aly Johnson had nine while Alicia Hines led everyone with a .438 attack percentage on seven kills on 16 attempts without an error.

Emily Teelon dished out a match-best 33 assists while Lauren Howard distributed 16. Katie Toman, Teelon and Shawn Hotson shared match-high accolades with two aces apiece.

Defensively, Toman led everyone with 27 digs while Monica Cardona and Hotson added 11 and 10, respectively. At the net, Hines stuffed five shots while Diedrich blocked four.

USC Aiken led throughout in the opening frame, gaining a 10-3 lead behind the serving of Toman. Leading 5-3, Forster sliced the defense for a kill. Toman dropped back to serve and the Pacers embarked on a 4-0 spurt from that point. The squad pushed the margin to 10 at 16-6 after three straight miscues by the Saints.

The team saw its lead decrease to 21-18, but Forster's kill started a 4-0 spurt to close out the set.

The second frame was a back-and-forth affair throughout. Cox's squad trailed 24-23 before Hines evened the set at 24 apiece. However, a service error and attack error allowed the Saints to tie the match at one set apiece.

After intermission, USC Aiken played inspired ball in the third frame. Tied at 6-6, Teelon's kill gave the team a one-point edge. Hines followed it up with a kill before Hines blocked a shot.

The Pacers pushed the lead to eight on an attack error for a 19-11 edge. A few plays later, Johnson's kill off a pass from Howard gave the team a 23-15 lead. At set point, Diedrich and Johnson combined for a block for the winner at 25-16.

After the Saints clinched the fourth set, USC Aiken found itself trailing 4-1 in the fifth stanza. However, an attack error gave the Pacers the serve. Toman dropped back, made a magnificent serve and forced Megan Hooks into a shot that Diedrich and Hines blocked. Diedrich slammed home an ace, knotting the contest at 4-4. Toman broke the tie with back-to-back aces, giving the team a lead it would not relinquish.

Hines smashed a kill for a 7-4 advantage before Diedrich and Hines combined for another block.

After a point by Flagler, USC Aiken got the point right back on an error. After another miscue by the Saints, the visitors made it 10-6. Cox's group answered right back when Howard found Forster for a kill.

Leading 11-7, Hines and Stratton registered a block prior to Ashley Lind finding the court for a 13-7 margin.

Flagler scored back-to-back points, but USC Aiken finished the match as Lind came up with a kill prior to Diedrich and Johnson blocking a shot for the 15-9 victory.

It marked the first five-set match of the season for Cox's team.

The Pacers return to action Wednesday at 7 p.m., when they host Lander.