JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team picked up a 3-0 sweep over Tusculum Saturday at Carson-Newman.

The Pacers are now 15-11 on the year while the Pioneers fall to 9-11.

Head coach Glenn Cox's team was led by Sadie McKay and Anna Sommer as each had nine kills. Emily Lammers and Abbey Schad added seven and six, respectively.

Mallory Barash accounted for a double-double with 29 assists and 11 digs.

At the service line, Lammers led the way with three aces while McKay and Schad each had two.

Defensively, Kari Mercer led the way with 13 digs. At the net, Schad stuffed five shots while Lammers was in on four blocks. McKay chipped in with a pair of blocks.

USC Aiken trailed the first set 23-20, but back-to-back points pulled the team within one. A kill by Tusculum made it 24-22, but Cox's team responded in fine fashion. Sommer slammed home a point and another error gave the Pacers a side-out. After a time-out by Tusculum, Lammers served up back-to-back aces for the 26-24 win.

Tied at 7-7 in the second set, Sommer registered a point and Mercer continued the short burst with back-to-back aces. Up 15-11, Sommer tallied a kill. Two plays later, Lammers accounted for an ace. Tusculum would not be able to close the gap the rest of the way. Lammers and Schad combined for a block to go up 24-14. Three plays later, McKay and Schad combined for the set-winning block.

The Pacers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third frame and never looked back. The closest the Pioneers would get is 3-2, but USC Aiken responded with a 3-0 spurt. Cox's team slowly increased the advantage before McKay took out the Pioneers with an ace in the 25-17 win.

The Pacers return to action Friday when they host Augusta at 6 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.