MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team recorded a 3-1 win over Montevallo Friday afternoon at Georgia College.

The Pacers are now 9-0 on the season while the Falcons are 6-5.

For the match, Alie Smith led the way with a contest-high 16 kills. She added six digs and three blocks. Anita Cookey-Gam had a monster match, registering 13 kills while hitting .462. Kayla Duggan and Sadie McKay accounted for eight kills apiece. 

Cat Bodick totaled five kills and posted a match-best five total blocks. 

Caroline Foster dished out 44 assists to go along with a match-high three aces. 

Defensively, Kari Mercer tallied 21 digs (to go along with three aces) while Lily Andrews and McKay chipped in 14 and 12 digs, respectively. At the net, Foster and Kayla Duggan had two blocks apiece. 

Head coach Glenn Cox's team jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first frame following back-to-back errors by the Falcons. USC Aiken extended the margin after a kill from McKay and two errors by UM to make it 13-6. 

A run by the designated home team knotted the set at 15-15. The squads traded points and the Falcons scored four of five points for a 22-20 lead. However, Bodick got in on a block and an error tied the frame at 22-22. Foster served up an ace before Bodick and Kayla Duggan combined for a block, giving the Pacers a 24-22 lead. After a short break, Bodick and Kayla Dugan combined on another block to clinch the set with a three-point victory.  

In the second stanza, kills by McKay and Kayla Duggan made it a 15-12 contest. After a point from Montevallo, Cookey-Gam slammed home a kill. Two plays later, an ace from Lily Andrews pushed the advantage to 18-13. 

The Falcons made a run, pulling within one at 22-21. USC Aiken responded with a thunderous kill from Smith. Two plays later, a block from Bodick and Smith gave the Pacers a two-point edge at 24-22. McKay ended the set with a kill and a three-point win.

USC Aiken fell behind 10-3 in the third set, but the squad would rattle off a run, pulling within two at 18-16 on a kill from McKay. The Pacers closed the gap to two four more times, with the last coming at 22-20 on a miscue by the Falcons. Montevallo managed to reel off the final three points in the 25-20 win.

The fourth set was tight in the early going. Tied at 14-14, Smith powered home a kill. After a solo block from Smith, Kayla Duggan found the court for a kill. An ace from Foster made it 18-14, forcing a time-out.

After the break, Smith hammered home a kill and Foster's ace increased the margin to six, 20-14. USC Aiken was not threatened the rest of the way as Cookey-Gam found an open part of the court for the match-winning kill (25-19). 

The Pacers return to action tomorrow when they square off against West Alabama at 11 a.m. and Valdosta State at 5 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.