SAVANNAH, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken posted a 3-1 road victory at Armstrong State in the regular-season finale Saturday afternoon, clinching the Peach Belt Conference regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming league tournament.

The Pacers are now 25-4 on the season and wrap up league play at 14-4.

Head coach Glenn Cox's team was led by senior Ashley Diedrich's double-double performance. She accounted for a match-best 18 kills and a team-high 14 digs in the win.

Taylor Stratton contributed 10 kills while Julia Forster and Emily Teelon each had six. Aly Johnson and Ashley Lind chipped in four and three kills, respectively. Alicia Hines and Shawn Hotson finished the scoring by totaling a pair of kills apiece.  

Teelon posted a double-double with a match-best 38 assists while totaling 11 digs. For good measure, she sliced the defense for a match-high four aces.

At the back line, Katie Toman garnered double-digit honors by totaling 12 digs. Johnson led everyone with four blocks, including two solo stuffs.

USC Aiken opened the match with a 10-5 spurt, forcing a time-out by the Pirates after Teelon found the campfire for a kill. The Pacers extended the margin to 15-6 as Johnson slammed home a kill. Teelon followed her up with an ace and after an error by the home team, the Pirates called time-out for the second time in the set.

Armstrong State pulled within two and kept it close the rest of the way. However, Stratton and Diedrich posted back-to-back kills for a 25-21 victory in the first stanza.

USC Aiken held a small lead through the first part of the second frame. With the score at 17-15, Stratton found the court on back-to-back plays. A kill from Diedrich pushed the score to 20-15 and an attack error by the Pirates forced a time-out on the court.

Leading 23-18, Diedrich pulled the Pacers within a point of taking the second set. Johnson quickly obliged her teammates, registering a kill for the 25-18 victory.

USC Aiken lost the third set 25-22, but bounced back in the fourth stanza.

Diedrich started things off with a kill. An error by the home team made it 2-0. After Armstrong State tied it at 2-2, the Pacers took the lead for good on Diedrich's kill. Cox's team slowly increased the margin to 10-5 when Diedrich hammered home a pass from Teelon.

The Pirates made it 15-14, but Ashley Lind registered a kill, sparking a 5-0 run by the visitors. Teelon notched a kill and an error by Armstrong State forced a time-out. After the break, Diedrich and Stratton slammed home kills for a 20-14 advantage.

The home team pulled within one at 23-22, but back-to-back errors by the Pirates allowed the Pacers to clinch the regular-season title.

The regular-season championship marks the first for USC Aiken since going 10-0 in league play in 2007. That season, the squad went on to defeat Lander in the PBC Tournament Championship.
 
The regular-season title marks the seventh in the program's Division II history. USC Aiken also won regular-season championships in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2006 and 2007.

The Pacers return to action Tuesday night when they host a first-round match at 7 p.m. Live stats, video and audio will be available at PacerSports.com.

Ticket prices are $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and $3 for children. Peach Belt Conference students with a valid ID will get in free.

Pacer Club passes are not valid for the PBC Tournament.