AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team recorded a pair of victories Friday, defeating Converse 3-0 and Carson-Newman 3-1.

The Pacers are now 2-0 on the season. 

In the opener against Converse, head coach Glenn Cox's team rolled to a 25-11 victory in the first set. The squad won 25-19, 25-19 over the final two frames.

For the match, Alie Smith led the way with 10 kills and 12 digs for a double-double effort. Alisha Pitt had eight kills while hitting .316 while Anita Cookey-Gam chipped in with five kills. Newcomers Brooke Wroten and Emily Lammers each had three kills.

Caroline Foster distributed a match-best 22 assists while Mallory Barash chipped in five.

Defensively, Kari Mercer led everyone with 26 digs. Foster tallied eight digs while Sadie McKay notched four in her collegiate debut. At the net, Pitt led the way with four total blocks while Smith and Wroten added two block assists apiece. 

Tied at 2-2 in the first set, Smith slammed home a kill, starting a 7-0 run. During the spurt, Smith added another kill while Cookey-Gam and Pit each had a kill. Foster chipped in an ace. McKay's kill pushed the margin to 16-6. Leading 19-11, a miscue by Converse sparked a 6-0 run to end the set for the home team. Smith ended the frame with an ace.

Leading 13-10 in the second stanza, Wroten and Pitt notched back-to-back kills before Mercer served up an ace. Up 19-16, McKay tallied a kill while Emily Duggan posted an ace. Leading 23-19, the visitors recorded an attack error before Foster and Wroten blocked an attack for the six-point victory.

USC Aiken led 19-14 in the third frame and back-to-back miscues by Converse made it 21-14. Lammers and Wroten were in for a block, pushing the advantage to eight. Moments later, Barash found Lammers for a kill. Up 24-19, Barash fed Smith for the final point of the match.

In the nightcap, McKay and Smith shared match-high honors with 16 kills apiece. Both had 12 digs each for double-double efforts. Wroten tallied nine kills while Pitt chipped in six.

Foster distributed a match-best 43 assists. At the service line, McKay lit up the opposition with five of the team's 14 aces. 

Defensively, Mercer led the way with 22 digs. Andrews garnered 15 digs. 

At the net, Pitt notched two block assists while Wroten accounted for the squad's lone solo block.

Down 7-6 in the first set, an attack error by the Eagles knotted the score at 7-7. Andrews served up an ace, giving the Pacers a one-point edge. McKay accounted for three of the team's net four points for a 12-7 lead. Another ace pushed it to 13-7. USC Aiken extended the margin to 23-11 when Foster sliced the defense with an ace. Moments later, Cookey-Gam ended the set with a kill at 25-13.

Leading 13-8 in the second set, Wroten's kill sparked a 5-0 run. McKay notched a kill and an ace for an 18-8 advantage. Up by eight at 21-13, the squads essentially traded points as Wroten found the floor for the final kill in the 25-16 victory.

After dropping the third set and trailing in the early going of the fourth frame, USC Aiken knotted the contest at 17-17 behind McKay's thunderous kill. An attack error by the Eagles made it 18-17. 

USC Aiken trailed 19-18 before Smith hammered home a kill. Tied at 20-20, Wroten took a pass from Foster and tipped home a point. A miscue by C-N made it 22-20. McKay served up an ace. Two plays later, Smith ended the match with a kill and the 25-20 victory.

The Pacers return to action tomorrow when they host UNC Pembroke at 12 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.