Meet The Newcomers

Since the 2021 season, USC Aiken has added three newcomers to the mix. The Pacers inked a pair of freshmen in 6-1 middle blocker Anna Sommer and 5-10 right-side Tucker Patterson. Additionally, Cox managed to acquire graduate transfer Kaitlyn Lund to the mix. Lund is a 6-2 middle blocker who played at Tennessee Southern.  

Star-Studded Returner

All-American in 2021. A Two-time PBC Libero of the Year, USC Aiken returns Kari Mercer to the line-up. The standout picked up two all-conference honors (2020 and 2021) and is looking to add a third accolade her resume. Should Mercer become the PBC Libero of the Year in 2022, she would tie former Pacer standout Rebecca Martinez (2017, 2018, 2019) as the only two student-athletes to pick up the honor three times. Casey Gnann (Flagler – 2011, 2012) is the only other PBC student-athlete to earn Libero of the Year twice. 

SHE'S BACK

It's been a while. That's an understatement when talking about Abbey Schad. Heading into her senior year in the classroom, Abbey Schad is looking to make a triumphant return to the court in 2022. She had a solid freshman campaign in 2019. That year, she posted 2.02 kills per frame, hit .265 and registered 61 total blocks. Schad posted a career-high 14 kills in the win over Valdosta State, hitting .778 in the match. Her five blocks against Mars Hill also topped her list in the sweep. One of her best all-around matches came in the four-set win over West Florida. In that victory, she had four blocks and played an instrumental part in the victory. 

THEY ARE BACK!

The 2021 season marked the 10^th consecutive winning season for head coach Glenn Cox. The team went 18-9 despite not having an entirely healthy team. In addition to Abbey Schad, USC Aiken's Kaitlyn Rodriguez was not completely healthy all season long and was limited to six matches. Additionally, Brooke Wroten also missed the majority of the season due to an injury. She played in four matches, notching three starts before missing the rest of the time.  

Returning To Form

Head coach Glenn Cox's team looks to return to form in 2022. The Pacers had competed in the NCAA Tournament from 2014-19 (2020 season no NCAA Tournament was held due to COVID-19). After a hiatus from the NCAA Tournament in 2021, USC Aiken looks to get back to the postseason event. During the six-year run, USC Aiken held the No. 3 seed in 2014, the No. 1 seed in 2015 and 2016, the No. 3 seed in 2017, the No. 2 seed in 2018 and the No. 5 seed in 2019. The 2016 team made the Elite 8 for the first time in the program's history. The squad returned to the Sweet 16 in 2018.

Strength In Numbers 

This season, head coach Glenn Cox returns 13 student-athletes from a season ago. This includes five upperclassmen (one senior, four juniors/redshirt-juniors). Additionally, the team boasts a sophomore class of eight student-athletes. 

Inside The Numbers

The Pacers open the season with games on Friday, Aug. 26 and Saturday, Aug. 27. Since moving to Division II, USC Aiken is 203-128 (61.3 percent) in Friday matches and 239-147 (61.9 percent) in Saturday contests. During the same time, the squad is 4-0 on Aug. 26 and 1-3 on Aug. 27.

Series History

This week, USC Aiken takes on Barton, Catawba, Converse and Lenoir-Rhyne. The Pacers are 6-0 in the all-time series against the Bulldogs. The team is 11-9 against the Indians, 14-1 against the Valkyries and 14-4 against the Bears.