ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team lost a 3-0 decision at Flagler in the season-opening match Friday evening.

The Pacers are 0-1 on the year while the Saints are 3-2.

Set scores were 25-17, 25-23, 27-25.

Alie Smith led the team with 15 kills. Sydney Bresee accounted for 13 kills while hitting a superb .600 in the match.

Caroline Foster distributed 31 assists in her first USC Aiken contest.

Kayla Duggan led the defense with 14 digs while Kaitlyn Rodriguez chipped in 10 digs in her collegiate debut. Sophomore Kari Mercer garnered 12 digs in the contest.

At the net, Alisha Pitt and Anita Cookey-Gam each tallied one block and two block assists for three total blocks.  

After dropping the first set 25-17, head coach Glenn Cox's team nearly won the next two frames. Trailing 14-11 in the second set, Smith slammed home a kill. Cookey-Gam and Pitt combined for a block before an attack error by the Saints made it 14-14. Foster served up an ace for a one-point lead.

Down 22-21, Bresee smashed a pass from Foster before Smith powered home a kill. However, the Saints scored the final three points for the win.

Trailing 17-10 in the third frame, the Pacers slowly pulled back to make it a tight contest. Three straight kills from Bresee made it 19-15. Down 21-15, Bresee slammed home five kills during an epic run that put the visitors up 23-21. USC Aiken had set point after a service error by Flagler, but the Saints managed to record a 27-25 victory.

The Pacers return to action on Tuesday, March 9, when they play at Francis Marion at 6 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.