WINGATE, N.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team saw its sensational season come to a close Saturday night in the NCAA Southeast Region Championship match, falling 3-0 to top-seeded and No. 24 Wingate.

The Pacers conclude the year at 23-5 while the Bulldogs improve to 32-1.

Head coach Glenn Cox's team was led by PBC Player of the Year Christine Carroll's match-high 11 kills. She hit .458 while also posting an ace. Rookie Brittani Vialdores totaled 10 kills and seven blocks while hitting .286.

Alie Smith totaled seven kills and 12 digs while Kayla Duggan accounted for five kills and 13 digs.

Ali Kirk dished out 20 assists while Alli Bell totaled seven assists to go along with eight digs.

Rebecca Martinez accounted for 12 digs in the loss.

Kayla Duggan, Alie Smith and Brittani Vialdores were named to the all-tournament team.

Down 20-17 in the opening set, three straight miscues by the Bulldogs evened the contest at 20-20. The squads traded the next two points, but back-to-back points by WU made it 23-21. A service error by Hannah Givens made it 23-22 before Vialdores hammered home a kill to knot the contest at 23-23. However, the Bulldogs managed to secure the final two points for the 25-23 win.

Cox's team played point-for-point with WU in the early going of set two. Kirk and Vialdores sent a Taylor Williams attempt back on the Bulldogs' side, knotting the frame at 5-5. Down 9-6, an error by the home team and a thunderous kill from Duggan pulled the Pacers within one at 9-8. Carroll's kill moments later made it 11-10, but the Bulldogs slowly widened the gap.

Trailing 21-14, Vialdores and Carroll slammed home kills. A ball handling error by WU made it 21-17, but the squad could get no closer in the 25-20 stanza.

The young Pacers took an early lead in the third set on a pass from Kirk to Carroll. Smith and Vialdores had kills in a 3-1 run from USC Aiken for a 6-4 lead. The teams battled back-and-forth for much of the set.  Down 20-18, Smith found the court for a kill, sparking a 3-0 run for a 21-20 edge.

Trailing 24-22, Cox's team saw WU commit an error before Duggan and Vialdores stuffed an attempt, knotting the contest at 24-24. Vialdores evened the set at 25-25 off a pass from Bell, but the Bulldogs escaped with the victory after the final two points, 27-25.

Senior Okwunne Ogbogu departs USC Aiken's volleyball with the most wins in the team's Division II history (106).