AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team recorded a 3-0 sweep of Columbus State Friday evening in a Peach Belt Conference contest.

The Pacers improve to 22-3 on the season, including an 11-3 mark against league foes.

Alicia Hines led the way with a team-best 10 kills. Ashley Diedrich and Shawn Hotson had seven apiece while Aly Johnson accounted for six kills. Julia Forster and Ashley Lind netted four kills apiece while Lauren Howard chipped in one.

Teelon led the team with 19 assists while Lauren Howard and Katie Toman added 11 and five, respectively.

On the back row, Toman led everyone with 19 digs. Monica Cardona reached double figures with 12 while Hotson continued her solid play with 10. For good measure, Hotson added three aces and was in on a block.

Johnson led everyone with four blocks. Lind had three and Diedrich chipped in a pair.

The first set was close through the first part, but head coach Glenn Cox's team extended the margin to four at 16-12 off Hotson's ace. The team kept the Cougars at bay, never letting the visitors closer than two the rest of the way. With the score 21-19, Diedrich found the floor for a kill. After an attack error by Columbus State, Hotson served up another ace for a 24-19 edge. Three plays later, Hines finished the Cougars with a kill and a 25-21 victory.

In the second stanza, the score was knotted at 16. However, Hines and Lind answered with back-to-back kills for a two-point edge. After the Cougars pulled within one at 18-17, Forster sliced the defense off a pass from Howard, starting a 6-0 run as the Pacers would cruise to the 25-18 win. During the spurt, Teelon served up a pair of aces. Johnson finished the set off on a kill that trickled over the net and dropped between a pair of defenders.

After jumping out to a 10-4 lead off an attack error in the third frame, USC Aiken allowed Columbus State to get back into the contest. The Cougars took an 11-10 lead and the two squads battled back-and-forth the rest of the way, with neither team gaining more than a two-point margin. Trailing 23-21, Hines stopped a spurt by the visitors with a kill. Johnson and Lind teamed up for a block, tying the score at 23-23. Toman found the court with an ace and after a time-out, Howard's kill off a pass from Toman secured the sweep.

The Pacers return to action tomorrow at 2 p.m., when they host Montevallo. Prior to the match, the four seniors will be honored as part of Senior Day. Those who wear a Halloween costume to the match will get in free of charge and will have a chance to win a prize between the second and third sets for the "Best Costume."