AIKEN, S.C. – The top-seeded University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team posted a 3-0 victory over Barton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday evening.

The Pacers improve to 29-4 on the season while the Bulldogs end their historic year at 22-9.

Head coach Glenn Cox's team was led by Julia Forster's career-high 21 kills. She hit an outstanding .417 while totaling 14 digs in the win. Taylor Stratton hammered home 11 kills while hitting .333. Shawn Hotson narrowly missed out on a double-double with 11 digs and nine kills.

Emily Teelon was spectacular, accounting for 43 assists, four kills and nine digs.

Danielle Mercer led everyone with a school-record tying 28 digs for a three-set match. Rebecca Martinez chipped in eight digs.

Forster's 21 kills were the second most in a three-set match in school history.

The contest started off slowly for both teams as it was tied at 4-4. However, Stratton got things rolling with a kill. Hotson followed it up with one of her own. After a miscue by the visitors, Kassy Johannsen and Emily Teelon combined for a block before Forster ended the 5-0 spurt with a kill.

The Pacers embarked on a 7-0 run after a point by the Bulldogs en route to a 16-5 lead as Forster, Teelon and Alicia Hines all had kills. Cox's team was not threatened as the squad posted the 25-10 win.

The second set was tighter as USC Aiken took a 10-9 lead. An error made it 11-9 and two plays later, Johannsen stuffed a shot for a 13-9 edge.

The Bulldogs made it interesting, pawing their way back into the set, but Stratton and Hotson answered the call with back-to-back kills for a 21-15 margin. Leading 23-19, Johannsen and Forster closed the door with back-to-back points.

Trailing 9-7 in the third stanza, a service error by Barton sparked a 4-0 run by Cox's group. The next three points were via Forster's right hand. The set was tied at 13 before a 6-0 run by the Pacers made it 19-13. Leading 23-17, Teelon registered a kill before an attack error by the Bulldogs clinched the win for the Pacers.

The victory marked USC Aiken's first-ever NCAA Tournament win.

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they host Armstrong State at 8 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com. 

The University of South Carolina Aiken will provide recaps throughout the NCAA Southeast Region Tournament.

Flagler 3, Lander 0

AIKEN, S.C. – Flagler defeated Lander in the first match of the NCAA Southeast Region Tournament by a 3-0 score Friday afternoon.

The Saints improve to 24-6 on the year while the Bearcats conclude their season at 21-12.

Flagler was paced by Sara Davis' team-best 11 kills. Taja Valmyr contributed 10 while Megan Hooks and Ashley Cheewah added eight and seven, respectively.

Tara Savisky notched a double-double with 35 assists and 16 digs. Valmyr's 10 digs gave her a double-double while Cheewah tallied 10 digs.

The Bearcats were led by Khiani Kelly's match-high 15 kills. Emily Reed totale d14 assists while Katie Haake totaled a double-double with 12 assists and 10 digs.

Hannah McManus led everyone with 31 digs.

Queens 3, Wingate 2

AIKEN, S.C. – Seventh-seeded Queens upended No. 2 Wingate by a 3-2 score in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Southeast Region Tournament Friday afternoon.

Meredith Jones paced the victors with a match-high 20 kills. Alex Thompson added nine while Rebecca Cochran and Jessica Raines tallied seven kills apiece.

Sydney Kunz accounted for a double-double with 38 assists and 11 digs. Megan Mancini totaled 30 digs while Cochran and Mallory Swarts posted 20 and 19, respectively.

The Bulldogs were led by Oakley Attaway's 16 kills and 10 digs. Abby Saehler totaled 11 kills and 11 digs. Freshman Treslyn Ortiz notched a match-best 34 digs and added nine assists in the loss.

Queens faces Flagler in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Armstrong State 3, Lincoln Memorial 0

AIKEN, S.C. – The No. 4 Armstrong State Pirates defeated No. 5 Lincoln Memorial 3-0 Friday evening in a NCAA Southeast Quarterfinal match.

The Pirates are now 26-7 overall while the Railsplitters end the year at 25-9.

ASU had a balanced attack as Rachel Thompson and Raegan Grooms tallied nine kills apiece. Raquel Kulak totaled eight kills while hitting .318. Carley Eiken notched a double-double with 32 assists and 12 digs. Iva Scepanovic garnered 17 digs while Kristi Vaughn added 11. Kulak accounted for five total blocks.

Samantha Cash led LMU with a match-best 11 kills. Jamie Jehne posted seven in the loss. Abby Cash had a double-double with 29 assists and 11 digs. Erica Whiteaker posted a match-best 18 digs while Bristol Snider chipped in 10.