AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team posted a 3-1 victory over visiting Georgia College in a Peach Belt Conference contest Friday evening.
The Pacers improve to 26-3 overall, including a 15-2 mark against conference competition. The Bobcats fall to 17-11 overall and 8-8 against league foes.
Taylor Stratton led everyone with 16 kills. She posted 15 digs for a double-double.
Amber Hendry hammered home 14 kills while
Julia Forster tallied 12.
Christine Carroll accounted for 10 kills while
Kassy Johannsen notched eight.
Emily Teelon tallied a double-double with 54 assists and 15 digs. She also contributed five kills and three aces.
Defensively,
Danielle Mercer totaled a career-high 31 digs, launching her into first place in USC Aiken single-season lore with 637 digs.
The 66 kills are the ninth most in a single match in school history. The 64 assists tied for the sixth most in the school's record book.
After falling 25-22 in the first frame, head coach
Glenn Cox's team battled back to win the second stanza. Trailing 10-6, Stratton slammed home a pass from Teelon, sparking a 6-0 run. She added another kill before
Christine Carroll followed her up with a kill. Carroll stuffed a shot, knotting the contest at 10-10. Carroll and Teelon posted back-to-back kills for a 12-10 lead.
It was a back-and-forth affair and USC Aiken found itself trailing 20-18 before Forster answered the bell with a kill. Martinez tied it with a service ace, making it 20-20. Down 21-20, Johannsen powered home a kill. Stratton tallied back-to-back kills for a 23-21 lead. After a point by Carroll, the Bobcats answered with one point before Teelon tricked up the defense with the set-winning point.
USC Aiken jumped out to a 10-5 lead after back-to-back kills from Carroll and Stratton in the third stanza, but the visitors closed the gap. Cox's team trailed 21-20 before Carroll slammed home the slide, knotting the contest. Trailing 22-21, Johannsen notched a kill to even the contest. Teelon served up back-to-back aces for the 24-22 lead. Stratton closed the door with a thunderous kill for the three-point win.
The fourth frame was difficult as well for the Pacers. The squad once again trailed 22-21, but Hendry responded with a thunderous kill down the line. Hendry and Johannsen blocked a shot, forcing a time-out. Hendry hammered home a kill on the next play, forcing another pause in action. After the break, Forster ended the match and a long rally with a cross-court shot.
The Pacers return to action tomorrow when they host Augusta at 2 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com. Prior to the match, seniors
Brittany Faulkner,
Shawn Hotson,
Kassy Johannsen,
Danielle Mercer and
Taylor Stratton will be honored for their hard work and dedication.
