AUGUSTA, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team hit .333 and picked up a 3-0 sweep of Georgia College & State University in the first round of the PBC Tournament Thursday evening.

The Pacers improve to 18-12 on the season while the Bobcats end their year at 11-19. Set scores were 25-18, 25-16, 25-17.

USC Aiken was led by Sadie McKay's 16 kills. Emily Lammers notched 14 kills while Kaitlyn Rodriguez totaled seven kills. Anna Sommer and Brooke Wroten added six kills apiece.

Mallory Barash led the way with a double-double, totaling 2 assists and 14 digs.

The team served up 10 aces with Rodriguez posting a match-high three.

Defensively, Mercer added 13 digs while Rodriguez chipped in seven. At the net, Wroten had three total blocks while Rodriguez and Barash each had a block.

In the first set, back-to-back kills from McKay pushed the score to 7-3. Up 10-7, Brooke Wroten beat the block for a point. McKay followed it up with an ace and Wroten's block extended the lead to six, 13-7. Cox's team was up 14-11 before Rodriguez hammered home a pass for a kill. Lammers followed it with an ace for a five-point edge.

GCSU made it 20-17 before a ball handling error on the designated home team increased the score to 21-17. Up 21-18, Lammers showed why she earned all-conference accolades with three straight kills before securing the seven-point win.

Cox's team did not trail in the second stanza in the 25-16 win. Up 4-3, Rodriguez and Sommer slammed home kills. Lammers served up an ace for a four-point margin. Leading 7-5, Sommer found the court, sparking a run. McKay took a pass from Barash and found the court. Rodriguez served up back-to-back aces for an 11-5 advantage.

USC Aiken maintained control throughout the set. As the squad forged ahead with momentum, the Bobcats were unable to get closer than five the rest of the frame. Leading 22-16, Lammers accounted for a kill. An error made it 24-16 before McKay aced the defense for the set winner.

The Pacers trailed 6-1 in the third frame before Lammers slammed home a kill. Down 10-7, McKay ripped a shot off a defender for a point. Barash and Wroten combined for a block before Mercer tied the set and then helped the team take the lead on an ace and an error by the Bobcats for an 11-10 score.

Tied at 11-11, Lammers registered a kill. Barash befuddled the Bobcats with back-to-back aces, forcing a time-out. Up 14-13, Cox's team went back to the well with Lammers, who answered with a kill. Wroten posted a kill before an attack error extended the score to 17-13. Wroten's thunderous kill made it 18-13, which caused the home team to call another time-out.

Up 20-16, the Pacers embarked on a 5-1 run to end the match with a kill by McKay.

The Pacers return to action Friday when they play at No. 1 Augusta at 4:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.