AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team lost a 3-2 decision to Flagler Friday evening.

The Pacers are now 13-3 overall and 3-2 in league play. The Saints are 11-3 on the year and 5-0 in the PBC.

Alisha Pitt led the way with a team-high 16 kills while hitting .444. Alie Smith notched a double-double with 15 kills and 21 digs. Anita Cookey-Gam hit .296 while smashing 10 kills. Kayla Duggan contributed seven kills while Emily Lammers tallied six.

While running a 6-2, Caroline Foster totaled 33 assists and 10 digs. Sophie Meredith accounted for 16 assists and four digs. 

Defensively, Kari Mercer led everyone with 36 digs. At the net, Smith had two solo blocks while Duggan had one. Duggan led the team with four total blocks while Pitt chipped in three block assists.

In the first set, Foster dished out her 1,000^th career assist while set two featured Smith registering her 1,500^th career kill.

Trailing 19-16 in the first set, Duggan took a pass from Meredith for a kill. Foster found Lammers on the ensuing play, making it 19-18. An error by the Saints pushed the score to 19-19. Down 22-20, Smith smashed a kill. An error by Flagler tied it at 22-22. Lammers and Pitt each garnered kills before Smith registered a solo block for the 25-22 win.

After dropping the next two sets, head coach Glenn Cox's team knotted the match at 2-2 after a back-and-forth fourth frame. Down 19-17, Pitt found the court for a kill. Two plays later, Pitt again connected for a kill. Trailing 21-19, Smith smacked a pass for a kill and an error by Flagler tied it at 21-21. 

The Saints scored the next two points, but USC Aiken would not be denied. Cookey-Gam registered back-to-back kills before Smith finished off the set with a kill and a solo block in the 25-23 victory.

Flagler jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fifth set and extended the margin to 11-3 before USC Aiken scored five of the next six points to make it 12-8. The Saints led 13-8 before an error by the visitors and a kill from Pitt pulled the home squad within three at 13-10. However, Flagler netted the final two points for the 15-10 victory.   

The Pacers return to action Wednesday, Oct. 13 when they host Lander at 6 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.