AIKEN, S.C. – Alie Smith posted 18 kills, had five aces and five digs to lead the University of South Carolina Aiken to a 3-0 win over Francis Marion Tuesday evening.

The Pacers are now 6-3 on the year.

Smith's 18 kills were a match high. Kaitlyn Rodriguez added 10 kills while Sydney Bresee notched six.

Caroline Foster dished out 37 assists. Defensively, Kari Mercer notched 24 digs while Emily Duggan had 10. At the net, Alisha Pitt had four blocks and Anita Cookey-Gam accounted for three blocks.

Tied at 13-13 in the first set, USC Aiken embarked on a 5-0 spurt. Smith started it with a kill and was in on all five points – tallying four kills while assisting on a block with Pitt. Leading 24-19, USC Aiken saw the visitors net three straight points before Bresee found the back corner for the win.

The Pacers slowly pulled away from the Patriots in the second stanza. Up 13-11, Cookey-Gam and Rodriguez found the court, forcing a time-out by the visitors. The home squad stretched the edge to 21-3 after kills from Bresee and Smith, followed by an error from FMU. Head coach Glenn Cox's team scored the final four points of the set, including a pair of kills from Smith and an ace from Foster in the 25-16 win.

Down 12-7 in the third set, Smith slammed home back-to-back kills for her patented celebration. A miscue by the Patriots and a pair of aces from Emily Duggan knotted the score at 12-12.

Trailing 16-15, Cookey-Gam and Rodriguez garnered kills. Smith registered three of the next four points via the service ace for a 20-16 edge. Leading 22-17, Rodriguez tallied a kill. Mercer served up an ace before a ball handling error ended the match.
 
The Pacers return to action tomorrow when they host UNC Pembroke at 6 p.m.