MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team garnered a 3-0 victory over Georgia College in the Peach Belt Conference quarterfinals Friday evening.

The Pacers improve to 28-3 on the season while the Bobcats fall to 17-13 on the year.

Leading the way for the victors was Taylor Stratton's match-high 17 kills. She also added 11 digs for a double-double performance. Stratton's 17 kills were the sixth most in a three-set match in school history.

Julia Forster reached double figures with 11 kills. Emily Teelon was a dig shy of a double-double with 45 kills to go along with nine digs. Her 45 assists were the sixth-most assists in a three-set match in school history.

Christine Carroll and Shawn Hotson garnered eight kills apiece while Kassy Johannsen slammed down six in addition to adding three total blocks.

Defensively, Hotson led everyone with 19 digs. Rebecca Martinez tallied 11 while Danielle Mercer's nine digs moved her into 10^th place in the league's single-season list with 663.

The 53 kills by USC Aiken marked the 10^th most in a three-set match in school history while the 51 total assists are the sixth most in a three-set contest.

In the opening set, USC Aiken trailed 1-0 off a service ace by the home team. However, head coach Glenn Cox's team regrouped and took a 4-2 lead after a pair of kills from Carroll and one from Hotson. The lead grew to three, 6-3, after an attack error by Taylor Svehla.

USC Aiken maintained a three-point margin as Stratton powered home a kill for a 10-7 advantage. However, the Bobcats rattled off five straight points for a two-point cushion. Carroll stopped the bleeding with a kill. Stratton followed it up with one of her own. Neither team gained much of an advantage and the score was eventually tied at 19-19. Stratton slammed home a kill and Teelon served up an ace for a 21-19 lead.

Leading 23-21, a service error made the score 24-21 in favor of the Pacers. Johannsen finished the first set in fine style, punishing the designated visitors with a kill between three defenders.

Up 8-7 in the second stanza, an error pushed USC Aiken's advantage to 9-7. Johannsen and Stratton teamed up for a block before Martinez served up an ace and an 11-7 margin. Johannsen added a kill before an error by Svehla made it 13-7. Carroll's kill put the score at 15-8 and forced a time-out by the Bobcats.

GC embarked on a 6-0 run and would knot the contest at 23-23. After trading points, Teelon found Carroll for the go-ahead kill. On the next play, Teelon made a sensational dig and Mercer passed it to Hotson, who sliced the defense with a cross-court shot for the game-winner.  

The Pacers made quick work of the Bobcats in the final stanza. Leading 6-5, USC Aiken erupted for a 10-1 run that put the set away. During the run, Forster started things off with a kill. Stratton added one before Martinez befuddled the defense with a sensational ace. Johannsen added back-to-back points for a 12-5 advantage. After a point by GC, Stratton slammed home a kill. Carroll added one before Stratton tacked on another. Johannsen's ace completed the 10-1 spurt.

Cox's team controlled the rest of the stanza. Forster, Teelon and Stratton each netted kills to close out the Bobcats, 25-15.

The Pacers return to action tomorrow in the PBC Semifinals against Armstrong State at 4:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.