WINGATE, N.C. – The USCA volleyball team lost a 3-0 decision to Francis Marion Friday afternoon in the season-opening match.

The Pacers are now 0-1 on the season while the Patriots improve to 1-1.

Head coach Glenn Cox's team was led by Lexi Rogers' nine kills and nine digs. Anna Sommer slammed home six kills and posted four blocks. She hit .263 in the match. Kadence Livingston totaled four kills as did Chloe Duzenack, who also chipped in three blocks. Avery Pearson garnered three kills and a block.

Sidney Hogan dished out 14 assists while Madison Fox accounted for 11. Bailey Corrigan had a team-best two aces while Bostick, Duzenack and Hogan had one each.

Kira Bostick led the back line with 15 digs. Ana Cate Loftus added seven while Fox chipped in five.

Down 5-2 in the opening set, Hogan found Rogers for a kill. Trailing 7-4 Fox connected with Bostick for the point. However, FMU managed to slowly pull away in the frame. With the score at 18-7, Rogers found the court for the kill off a pass from Hogan. Duzenack's kill pulled the designated home team within 10, but the Patriots posted the 25-15 win.

Down 7-3 in the second set, back-to-back errors by FMU and a kill from Duzenack made it 7-6. Trailing 8-7, Fox found Loftus for a point. FMU held a 16-10 edge before Rogers slammed home a pass. The Patriots maintained a 19-12 advantage before Pearson recorded a kill. Duzenack and Sommer combined for a block, pulling within five at 19-14.

A miscue by FMU and an ace from Bostick pulled USCA within three and forced a time-out. Duzenack pulled the Pacers within two, but the Patriots paused the run with a kill. Sommer had a kill before Hogan served up an ace to make the score 20-19. The teams traded points and Sommer once again pulled the squad within one at 22-21, but FMU managed to squeak out the second set victory at 25-21.

USCA rattled off four consecutive points in the third stanza to make it 6-2. Livingston had a kill, and Corrigan tallied an ace during the run. After a time-out by the Patriots, Corrigan registered another ace before Sommer found the court for a point. A kill from Alli Bishop extended the margin to six, 11-5.   

Tied at 15-15, Livingston garnered a kill before Duzenack sliced the defense for an ace. The teams traded points, and the score was once again tied at 19-19. FMU took a 21-19 lead, forcing Cox to call a time-out. Rogers posted a kill to pull within one, but the Patriots scored the final four points for the 25-20 win.

The Pacers return to action tomorrow when they square off against Coker at 11:30 a.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.