HARROGATE, Tenn. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team picked up a 3-0 sweep over Mars Hill in the final match of the Lincoln Memorial Season-Opening Tournament.

The Pacers are now 3-0 on the season.

For the match, Christine Carroll led everyone with 12 kills. Abbey Schad totaled nine kills while hitting .474. The rookie also stuffed five shots. Anita Cookey-Gam tallied eight kills while Kayla Duggan and Alie Smith powered home seven kills apiece.

Alli Bell dished out a match-high 34 assists and narrowly missed a double-double with nine digs.

Defensively, Rebecca Martinez led everyone with 15 digs. Kari Mercer and Smith added eight apiece. At the net, Duggan was in on three blocks while Carroll and Smith were in on two apiece.

In the first frame, it was a back-and-forth affair. Head coach Glenn Cox's team took a 24-22 lead on a kill from Carroll, but the Lions managed to knot the score at 24-24. After a service error by the designated home team, Carroll ended the stanza by stuffing an attempt from Sally Anne Johnson for the 26-24 victory.

Tied at 9-9 in the second frame, Cox's group embarked on an 8-3 spurt, forcing a time-out by the Lions. During the run, Anita Cookey-Gam had a pair of kills. After the break in action, the Pacers continued the advantage. Cookey-Gam had a kill while Kayla Duggan served up an ace. Bell and Smith had a kill each while Carroll hammered home two kills, closing out the set with the 25-14 win.

In the final set, MHC made it a 16-13 match, but Smith and Duggan notched kills, forcing a time-out. USC Aiken increased its lead to six on a point from Cookey-Gam off a pass from Bell. Leading 23-17, an attack error gave USC Aiken a 24-17 edge before Martinez found Smith to end the match.

The Pacers return to action Friday when they host the USC Aiken Invitational. The team hosts North Greenville at 2:30 p.m., and Florida Southern at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.