FLORENCE, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team defeated Francis Marion on the "Sea of Red" night by a 3-1 count Tuesday evening in a Peach Belt Conference contest.

The Pacers are now 11-2 on the season, including a 3-0 record in league play. The Patriots drop to 4-8 overall and 1-3 against conference competition.

Head coach Glenn Cox's team had three student-athletes register double-doubles. Leading the way was Julia Forster with 17 kills and 10 digs. Christine Carroll notched 10 kills and 11 digs while Emily Teelon was on her way to a near-triple double performance with 38 assists, 10 digs and six kills.

Alicia Hines was sensational with eight kills against zero errors while hitting .444. Avery Macklin notched eight kills while Alie Smith posted seven kills to go along with 16 digs.

Defensively, Rebecca Martinez led the team with 21 digs. Natalie Perrault chipped in nine digs while both served up a pair of aces.

In the first set, head coach Glenn Cox's team found itself trailing 4-1 before it reeled off seven straight points. During the run, Carroll and Julia Forster teamed up for a block. Carroll followed it up with a single stuff to make it 4-4. Smith sliced the defense for an ace and Forster added back-to-back kills for an 8-4 edge.

The Patriots would slowly cut into the Pacers' lead before tying it at 20-20. USC Aiken found itself trailing 24-23 before Smith knotted the score with a thunderous kill. Down 25-24, Avery Macklin crossed up the defense for a point. Forster gave the visitors a 27-26 advantage before an attack error gave the Pacers the 28-26 win in the opening frame.

After dropping the second set, USC Aiken regrouped during intermission. Tied at 6-6 in the third frame, a service error gave the visitors a one-point edge and sparked a 6-0 run. During the spurt, Hines had a pair of blocks and a kill. The Pacers maintained a five-point edge and with the score at 20-15, Cox's group netted the next three points en route to the 25-16 win.

Down 5-3 in the fourth frame, USC Aiken went on an 11-4 run for a 14-9 edge. In addition to errors by the home team, Martinez sliced the defense with an ace, Smith, Carroll and Forster all had kills.

Leading 21-15, Carroll found a spot on the court for a kill while Forster sent down a pass from Carroll for a seven-point margin. The Patriots pulled within six at 24-18, but an attack error ended the match.

The Pacers return to action Friday when they host Georgia College at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.