ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team lost a 3-1 contest at Flagler Friday evening in the regular-season finale.

The Pacers are now 17-8 overall and 6-4 in league play. The squad will be the No. 3 seed in the upcoming PBC Tournament.

Head coach Glenn Cox's team was led by Alie Smith's match-high 15 kills. She added six digs and two aces to go along with a block.

Emily Lammers and Alisha Pitt each accounted for eight kills. Pitt registered five total blocks, including three of the solo variety. Lammers tallied nine digs.  Anita Cookey-Gam posted seven kills while Kayla Duggan posted four.

Mallory Barash and Caroline Foster each had 17 assists. Barash also had three kills.

Defensively, Kari Mercer registered a team-best 16 digs while adding four assists and a pair of aces.

After dropping the first set 25-20, USC Aiken saw itself trailing 18-16 but Foster found Duggan for a kill. A miscue by the Saints knotted the score at 18-18. Smith gave the visitors the lead with a kill. Tied at 20-20, Smith and Barash posted back-to-back kills, forcing a time-out. After the break, Mercer served up an ace for a three-point edge. Lammers followed it up with a kill for a 24-20 advantage. Up 24-21, Barash connected with Smith for the set winner.

The third frame was a back-and-forth affair. Down 22-21, Cookey-Gam and Pitt found the court for back-to-back points. Tied at 23-23, Lammers hammered home a pass from Foster for a one-point lead. However, the Saints scored the final three points for the 2-1 set advantage.

Flagler took a 5-1 lead in the fourth set and increased the advantage to seven at 12-5. Despite Cox's team continuing to battle, the group could not get any closer the rest of the way.  

The Pacers return to action at the PBC Tournament at Augusta University beginning Friday against Young Harris. Times will be announced by the league office. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.