CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team registered a pair of victories Friday thanks in part to numerous career highs by several student-athletes. The Pacers opened the season with a 3-1 victory over Catawba before knocking off Queens 3-2 in the nightcap.

The Pacers are now 2-0 on the young season.

In the opener, head coach Glenn Cox's team was paced by Taylor Stratton's match-high 17 kills. She also registered 20 digs for a double-double. Shawn Hotson also posted a double-double with a career-high 15 kills and 22 digs. Emily Teelon narrowly missed a triple-double with 49 assists, 11 digs to go along with nine kills. Alicia Hines totaled eight kills while Kassy Johannsen and Okwunne Ogbogu added three and two, respectively.

Danielle Mercer accounted for a match-best 24 digs while rookie Rebecca Martinez chipped in 15. At the net, Julia Forster, Johannsen and Ogbogu all had solo blocks. Hines, Johannsen and Stratton were each in on a pair of block assists.

The 67 kills marked the seventh most in a four-set match in school history. The 203 attempts were the fourth most in a four-set match and 10^th most in any match. The Pacers' 64 assists (sixth most in a four-set match) and 102 digs (fifth in a four-set match) also helped re-write the record book in the opener. Individually, Stratton's 59 attempts were the eighth most in a four-set match.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair that saw USC Aiken lose a five-point cushion midway through the frame. The Indians took a 25-24 lead, but an attack error evened the score. A kill by Hines gave the Pacers a lead, but the designated home team quickly tied the set. Tied at 27-27, Hines slammed home a pass from Teelon for the one-point edge. Stratton finished off the stanza with a thunderous kill and a 29-27 victory.

Cox's team trailed 22-21 in the second set, but a two-point rally off a kill from Julia Forster and an attack error by Catawba made it a 23-22 contest. Johannsen's ace pushed it to 24-22, but the Indians rallied to even the score. The Pacers quickly ended the frame when Teelon and Stratton connected on passes to Forster, who promptly put the ball away each time for a point – and the set, 26-24.

The Indians broke through in the third set, taking an early 10-5 lead. USC Aiken closed the gap, but could never even the score in the 25-18 loss.

After a quick pep talk by the coaching staff, the Pacers played inspired volleyball in the fourth frame. Leading 11-6, Hotson passed the ball to Teelon, who found the court for a 12-6 edge. Stratton notched back-to-back kills for a 14-6 margin and essentially shut the door on a comeback attempt. Catawba netted a point to make it 14-7, but Cox's group rattled off the final 11 points to win the season-opening match. During the run, Hotson slammed home multiple kills before Teelon and Forster registered back-to-back points to finish the match.

In the nightcap, Forster established a career high with 19 kills to lead the Pacers to the victory. Hotson established her second straight career high with 17 kills. She notched a double-double by tallying 13 digs. Stratton totaled 15 kills and 10 digs.

Mercer notched a career-high 28 digs while Lauren Howard distributed a career-best 36 assists.

Amber Hendry saw her first action as a Pacer and tallied three kills. Martinez continued her solid start by picking up 15 digs to go along with a team-best two aces.

USC Aiken took a 22-20 lead in the opening frame on an ace by Martinez, but the Royals battled back to tie it at 22-22. Hendry and Stratton registered back-to-back kills off passes from Chelsey Watts, but the home team to get back in it, but an error by the Royals gave the Pacers the win.

Cox's team dropped the next two sets, but the squad went on the attack trailing 2-1. Neither team had more than a three-point lead in the fourth set. Trailing 23-22, USC Aiken knotted the score on an error by the home team. Another miscue by the Royals made it 24-23 in favor of the Pacers, who promptly closed the set out on a kill from Hotson off a pass from Mercer.

Kills from Forster and Johannsen gave USC Aiken a 7-5 advantage in the fifth stanza. An error by the home team and an ace by Martinez pushed the score to 9-5.

However, the Royals cut the lead to one, 11-10, before Hotson answered with a kill. Tied at 13, the Royals committed another error, but managed to score two straight for a 15-14 lead.

Forster tied the set at 15-15 before Stratton gave the visitors a one-point edge. Cox's team clinched the match on an error by the Royals.

The Pacers return to action tomorrow for the final day of the tournament. The team squares off with Lenoir-Rhyne at 12:45 before wrapping up play against Wingate at 7 p.m. Live stats will be available at PacerSports.com.