AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team lost a 3-1 decision at Lander Friday evening.

The Pacers are now 9-4 on the season, including 0-2 in league play. The Bearcats are now 9-2 on the season, including 3-0 on the year.

Head coach Glenn Cox's team was led by 10 kills from Emily Lammers. Sadie McKay and Abbey Schad had nine kills apiece while Anna Sommer chipped in eight.

Caroline Foster dished out 20 assists while Mallory Barash accounted for 18.

Defensively, Kari Mercer and McKay had 20 digs apiece.

In the first set, USC Aiken took a 18-17 lead on a kill by Kaitlyn Rodriguez, forcing a time-out by the Bearcats. The back-and-forth affair saw the Pacers snag a 23-22 advantage on a kill from Schad. However, the Bearcats rattled off the final three points for a 25-23 victory.

The Pacers claimed the second frame in exciting fashion. The teams battled back-and-forth but the visitors held a 23-19 edge. An error gave the Pacers a point and momentum. Three straight miscues knotted the set at 23-23. Down 24-23, another service error tied the set. Tied at 25-25, McKay slammed home a cross-court winner. After a time-out by Lander, an error by the Bearcats gave the home squad a two-point victory.

After dropping the third set 25-19, USC Aiken once again played toe-to-toe with the Bearcats in the fourth stanza. The Pacers held a 12-11 lead on a thunderous kill from McKay. Down 20-17, Schad slammed home a kill off a pass from Barash. McKay's kill pulled the team within one at 20-19. However, Lander managed to record the 25-20 win.

The Pacers return to action tomorrow to face the Bearcats at 1 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.