CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team wrapped up the second day of the Queens Tournament by going 1-1. The squad defeated Lenoir-Rhyne before falling to Wingate.

The Pacers are now 3-1 on the season.

In the opener, head coach Glenn Cox's team was paced by Julia Forster's 16 kill, 14-dig, two-ace performance. Taylor Stratton added 15 kills and six digs while Shawn Hotson totaled 13 kills and 16 digs for a double-double.

Alicia Hines added seven kills while Kassy Johannsen chipped in six.

Lauren Howard stepped into the starting line-up and dished out a career-high 46 assists to go along with 14 digs.

Defensively, Danielle Mercer and Rebecca Martinez added 15 and 13 digs, respectively.

USC Aiken held a 14-13 lead in the opening frame before the Bears rattled off three straight points. The Pacers cut the deficit to just one, but could get no closer as Lenoir-Rhyne edged the designated home squad 25-22.

In the second stanza, the Pacers led 22-18 when Forster sliced the defense for an ace, but the Bears clawed their way back into the frame, eventually taking a 24-23 advantage. However, Stratton evened the contest with a kill before promptly finding the floor again for a 25-24 edge. An attack error by L-R made it 26-24.

Tied at 17 in the third set, Hines stuffed a shot and Forster served up an ace for a 19-17 margin. Leading 23-22, Hotson and Forster registered back-to-back kills for the 25-22 victory and a 2-1 overall advantage.

After being a point away from going up 2-0, the Bears were shell-shocked and the Pacers raced out of the gates in the fourth stanza. With Martinez serving, USC Aiken increased its lead from 2-1 to 11-1 before the Bears managed to find an offensive point.

Cox's team kept L-R at bay, leading by nine or more points the rest of the way. Forster ended the match with back-to-back kills for the 25-14 set win and 3-1 overall win.

In the nightcap, all four sets were extremely close. However, Cox's team was unable to come out on top.

Stratton led the way with a match-high 17 kills. Hotson posted 13 kills and 10 digs for a double-double while Forster notched 11 kills and 12 digs.

Howard once again established a career best with 48 assists. Mercer garnered 26 digs while Martinez added 12. At the net, Okwunne Ogbogu blocked a career-high three attempts.

In the opening frame, the Pacers jumped out to a 10-2 lead thanks to an 8-0 spurt. During the run, Forster had a kill to get things going. Hotson smashed home four kills while Mercer chipped in one. However, the Bulldogs would fight back, making it a 16-15 contest on a service error by USC Aiken.

Tied at 18-18, Wingate went on a 3-0 run to take the lead for good.

The Bulldogs never trailed in the second set, but the Pacers never trailed by more than four after the midway point of the set. The team pulled within one at 19-18 on a kill by Hotson, but could get no closer.

USC Aiken snagged the third set from Wingate. Tied at 20, Stratton took a pass from Howard and promptly found the court. Back-to-back-to-back errors by the Bulldogs made it 24-20. Martinez finished the frame with an outstanding service ace.

The Pacers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set as Hotson, Stratton and Mercer all had kills to get things going. After the Bulldogs pulled close, Ogbogu found the court for a point to make it 16-13. A kill by Johannsen made it 19-17, but the designated home team went on a 7-1 run before closing out the match.  

The Pacers return to action Friday when they host the USC Aiken Invitational. Live stats and video will be available for all of USC Aiken's matches. The Pacers take on Mount Olive (3 p.m.) and Eckerd (7 p.m.) on Friday.