Throughout the 2019 season, the USC Aiken Athletic Communications office will provide weekly notes, giving all of Pacer Nation an in-depth look at the team.

Getting The Bid

For the sixth consecutive season, USC Aiken received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. It is the longest such streak in program history and the third-longest streak in USC Aiken's history for any sport. During the six-year run, the Pacers have been the No. 1 seed twice, the No. 2 seed once, the No. 3 seed twice and the No. 5 seed once.

Familiar Place

USC Aiken makes a return appearance to Wingate, N.C., for the NCAA Tournament. It marks the second consecutive season the Bulldogs have hosted the NCAA Southeast Regional. Additionally, the Pacers scrimmaged at Wingate University prior to the 2019 season.

The Bracket

The bracket looks similar to recent years in the NCAA Southeast Region. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 seed for the second straight year. Queens, the No. 2 seed – was the No. 5 seed in 2017. Carson-Newman is the No. 3 seed – was the No. 7 seed in 2017. Augusta, the No. 4 seed – was the No. 3 seed in 2018. Anderson, the No. 6 seed – was the No. 4 seed in 2018. Flagler, the No. 7 seed – was the No. 1 seed in 2018. Emmanuel is the No. 8 seed for the second consecutive season.

NCAA Southeast Region Page

Racking Up Awards

Last week, Christine Carroll, Rebecca Martinez and Alie Smith earned first-team all-conference accolades while Alie Bell earned second-team honors. Carroll was the PBC Player of the Year for the second straight season while Martinez was the PBC Libero of the Year for the third straight time. Kelsey Spurlin was named the PBC Elite 15 award winner for the second consecutive season.

Inside The Numbers

This week, USC Aiken takes on Augusta in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 5. The Pacers are 24-19 (55.8 percent) in Thursday contests since moving to Division II. A win would put USC Aiken playing on Friday, Dec. 6. The squad is 191-124 (60.6 percent) in Friday contests. Reaching the NCAA Southeast Region Championship would put the Pacers playing on Saturday, Dec. 7. The program is 231-142 (61.9 percent) in Saturday contests since moving to Division II. The Pacers have never played on Dec. 5, Dec. 6 or Dec. 7.

Against The Opponents

This week, USC Aiken takes on Augusta in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 5. The Pacers are 47-20 in the all-time series against the Jaguars, having won seven of the last 10 in the series. The Athletic Communications office will update this section after each day of the tournament.