MARS HILL, N.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team registered victories over Lenoir-Rhyne and Mars Hill by scores of 3-1 and 3-0, respectively, Saturday.

The Pacers are now 18-1 on the season.

In the opener against Lenoir-Rhyne, Alie Smith led everyone with 13 kills to go along with 13 digs for a double-double. Christine Carroll and Abbey Schad notched 12 kills apiece while Anita Cookey-Gam and Kelsey Spurlin tallied five kills each.

Mallory Barash dished out a match-high 23 assists while Alli Bell distributed 22 while registering seven digs.

Defensively, Rebecca Martinez put up a match-high 30 digs. Kari Mercer totaled nine. At the net, Carroll was in on five blocks while Barash and Schad garnered three apiece. Smith was in on two blocks.

Trailing for much of the first set, a 3-0 spurt knotted the contest at 18-18. The teams traded points, but Schad found the floor for a point. An error by the Bears made it 23-21. Leading 23-22, Carroll and Spurlin notched back-to-back kills for the win.

Although the Pacers had the lead for much of the second set, L-R regained the advantage at 20-17. Two errors by the designated visitors and a kill from Smith evened the frame at 20-20. Down 23-21, Schad blasted a pass from Barash to pull within one. Three straight errors by the Bears gave USC Aiken a 25-23 win.

After dropping the third stanza, the fourth set was tied at 15-15 before Carroll and Smith pounding passes for kills. Two errors by the Bears made it a four-point advantage for USC Aiken. Schad, Smith and Cookey-Gam rattled off back-to-back-to-back kills for a 24-17 lead en route to the 25-20 win.

In the nightcap against the host Lions of Mars Hill, Carroll registered a match-best 17 kills, which is the ninth most in school history in a three-set match. Smith accounted for another double-double with 16 kills and 12 digs.

Brittany French garnered six kills while Cookey-Gam and Schad had five kills apiece. Bell was spectacular in finding her teammates, posting a match-high 48 assists, marking the second-most in a three-set match in school history.

Defensively, Martinez led the way with 23 digs. In addition to Smith's 12, Mercer and fellow rookie Emily Duggan each hit double figures with 10 digs.

At the net, Carroll blocked five attempts while Cookey-Gam was in on three blocks. Bell and Schad had a block assist apiece.

In the first set, USC Aiken jumped on top 8-2 after Smith and Bell finished the run with kills. Although the Lions pulled within three at 19-16, French answered the call with a kill. Carroll and French accounted for the next two points for the six-point edge as the team cruised to the 25-21 win.

Leading 16-15, back-to-back errors pushed the score to 18-15. Carroll's block pushed it to 19-15. Up 19-18, Carroll posted three consecutive kills for a 22-18 advantage. The Pacers pushed the score to 25-20 for the victory.

The Pacers shut the cage quickly on the Lions in what turned out to be the final frame. Up 11-7, USC Aiken notched four straight points and never looked back. Moments later, Bell found French for a 24-13 lead before Carroll and Cookey-Gam ended the match with a block.

The Pacers return to action Tuesday when they play at Paine at 7 p.m.