AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team posted victories over Erskine and West Florida Friday evening on the opening day of the Pacer Invitational.

The Pacers are now 9-0 on the season.

In the sweep of Erskine, head coach Glenn Cox's team was paced by a trio of student-athletes. Christine Carroll, Kayla Duggan and Alie Smith registered nine kills apiece. Carroll hit .562 while Duggan hit .533 and sliced the defense for three aces in the victory. Abbey Schad contributed seven kills and three aces while hitting .462.

Alli Bell dished out a match-high 20 assists while playing two sets. Mallory Barash distributed 12 assists while tallying two digs.

Rebecca Martinez led everyone with 20 digs.

USC Aiken led the first frame 16-14 before Schad and Smith slammed home kills. An ace from Bell pushed the margin to five as the Pacers scored nine of the final 11 point for the 25-16 victory.

Tied at 3-3 in the second set, Kari Mercer dropped back to serve and guided USC Aiken to six consecutive points. In the run, Smith slammed home a solo block. A black from Duggan and Schad extended the margin to 17-7 en route to the 25-12 victory.

Cox's group slowly extended the lead in the final stanza. An error by the visitors made it 10-5. Moments later, Duggan slammed home a kill, sparking a 5-0 run. Carroll had a solo block in the spurt while Duggan ended the run with an ace. Leading 23-16, Smith hammered home a kill prior to an attack error ending the match.

In the nightcap against the Argonauts, Cox's team was led by Duggan's 13 kills and 19 digs. Smith posted a double-double with 12 kills and 16 digs while Christine Carroll slammed home 10 kills, had six blocks and tallied three digs. Anita Cookey-Gam notched seven kills.

Bell registered a match-high 41 assists to go along with 13 digs and a block.

Defensively, Martinez led everyone with 31 digs. Kari Mercer garnered 10 digs in the victory.

In the first set, USC Aiken broke open the contest after leading 12-11. Duggan found the court before serving up an ace for a three-point lead. Up 14-12, the Pacers rattled off six consecutive points for a 20-12 margin. Schad's block ended the set with the 25-15 win.

After dropping the second set, Cox's team trailed 12-9 in the third stanza. Duggan brought he team within three on a kill. Moments later, she evened the set at 12-12 on an ace. Leading 17-16, Smith slammed home a kill, sparking a 5-0 spurt. Up 22-17, Smith registered a kill. After an attack error, Duggan blocked an attack for the 25-17 win.

Up 7-6 in the fourth frame, USC Aiken reeled off eight of the next 10 points for a 15-8 edge. The Argonauts fought back, pulling with four at 23-19 before Carroll stuffed an attempt to make it 24-19. After UWF scored a point, a service error sealed the victory for USC Aiken.

The Pacers return to action tomorrow when they host Converse at 12:30 p.m., and Valdosta State at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.