AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team posted a 3-1 victory over Georgia College Tuesday evening in the Peach Belt Conference quarterfinals.
The Pacers improve to 26-4 on the season while the Bobcats conclude their year with a 12-16 mark.
Leading the way for head coach Glenn Cox's team was Ashley Diedrich, who notched 16 kills to go along with 15 digs, five blocks and three aces. Taylor Stratton accounted for 10 kills while Julia Forster added eight. Alicia Hines hit .455 to lead everyone while Aly Johnson and Emily Teelon added five and four kills, respectively.
Teelon accounted for a double-double with 45 assists and 15 digs.
Katie Toman established a school record for digs in a four-set match with 38. The mark was also the fourth most overall in school history. Toman was one of five Pacers in double digits for digs. Monica Cardona added 14 while Danielle Mercer accounted for 14.
Collectively, USC Aiken had 105 digs, which is the third most in a four-set match and is tied for 10th most overall in a match in school history.
At the net, Johnson stuffed a match-high six shots. In addition to Diedrich's five, Hines, Ashley Lind and Teelon had two block assists apiece. Forster and Stratton rounded out the block party with one block assist each.
The entire match was closer than the first two contests the squads played this season. In the first set, an attack error gave the Pacers a 21-20 lead. Diedrich and Johnson combined for a block, making it 22-20. Johnson stuffed a pass from Teelon for a 23-20 edge. Leading 24-21, USC Aiken saw the Bobcats rally off the next two points before a service error allowed the Pacers to snag the opening set 25-23.
Cox's team turned a 15-13 advantage in the second set into a 21-15 lead thanks in part to three kills by Teelon. However, Georgia College bounced back, pulling within two at 21-19. An error by the visitors gave the Pacers a 22-19 edge. Stratton slammed home a kill and another mistake by the Bobcats made it 24-19. Leading 24-20, the Pacers took the frame when Toman played an over pass onto the opposing side that found the court for the winning point.
The Bobcats led for much of the third set and looked to put things away with a 23-18 lead. However, three kills from Stratton and an attack error pulled the Pacers within one at 23-22, but Georgia College managed to close out the third frame, 25-22.
USC Aiken took control of the fourth stanza, jumping out to a 13-7 margin after a 4-0 run that was sparked by Stratton and Diedrich. After the Bobcats pulled within three at 15-12, an attack error gave the ball back to the Pacers. Diedrich and Forster slammed home back-to-back kills as the margin swelled to eight at 22-14. The squad cruised to the 25-20 victory that ended on a service error by the Bobcats.
The Pacers return to action Friday when they host Lander in a match at 7:30 p.m. Flagler and Armstrong State tangle in a match starting at 5 p.m., in the Convocation Center.
