AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team needed five sets but knocked off league-leading Flagler by a 3-2 score in a Peach Belt Conference contest.
The Pacers are now 19-3 overall, including an 8-2 mark against league foes. The Saints fall to 10-5 overall and 6-1 against conference competition.
Taylor Stratton led everyone with 21 kills to go along with 17 digs for a double-double.
Christine Carroll tallied 11 kills while
Julia Forster,
Amber Hendry and
Kassy Johannsen tallied 10 kills apiece.
Emily Teelon dished out 55 assists and added 13 digs for a double-double.
Defensively,
Danielle Mercer posted a match-high 29 digs.
Shawn Hotson and
Rebecca Martinez accounted for 17 digs apiece. At the net, Johannsen was in on five blocks, including one of the solo variety.
Trailing 22-14 in the first set, Teelon found Carroll for a kill. That started a 7-0 run for the home team. During the spurt, Mercer served up an ace. Teelon had a kill while Stratton slammed home three passes. After a point by the Saints, Johannsen pulled head coach
Glenn Cox's team within one on a kill. A miscue by the Saints tied it at 23-23. Following another timeout by Flagler, Hendry hammered home two straight passes for the 25-23 come-from-behind victory.
In another tightly contested frame, USC Aiken held a 17-16 lead before Carroll and Stratton combined for a block in the second set. On the following play, Johannsen and Teelon put up a wall that Taja Valmyr couldn't break through. However, Flagler pulled within one at 19-18 before a mistake gave possession back to the Pacers. Stratton and Johannsen notched back-to-back kills before the dyad combined for a block and a 23-18 advantage. USC Aiken managed to post a 25-20 victory on an error by the visitors.
After losing the third set 25-18, the fourth set was one where neither team could gain much of an advantage. USC Aiken fell behind 22-19 before Stratton and Hendry posted kills and an error by the Saints knotted the contest. However, Flagler reeled off the next three points to force a pivotal fifth set.
Things did not look good for Cox's squad early on as the Saints accounted for the first three points, forcing the home team to call a time-out. The teams traded the next four points before a service error by Flagler made it 6-3 moments later.
After a wild play, Teelon tipped one over off a pass from Carroll to make it 6-4. Trailing 9-6, Stratton took an over pass and slammed it onto the court with tremendous enthusiasm, sparking a run by the Pacers. Hendry and Johannsen slid over and blocked an attack, making it 9-8. Teelon found a slicing Johannsen for a kill, evening the score at 9-9. With the momentum, Teelon served up an ace for the lead.
Flagler called a time-out and scored the next point, but Stratton and Johannsen tallied back-to-back kills for a two-point edge. Leading 14-12, USC Aiken saw its advantage slip away as Ashley Cheewah tied it on an over pass that turned into a kill.
Despite seeing the visitors tie the match, Teelon found Forster for a shot that split a pair of defenders for a 15-14 lead. Fittingly, what turned out to be the final point was a tremendous rally by both teams. However, USC Aiken managed to celebrate as the Saints' shot missed the court by inches, giving the home team the 16-14 victory.
The Pacers return to action tomorrow when they host Armstrong State at 2 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.
