AIKEN, S.C. – The UNC Pembroke volleyball team powered through five sets but fell short as Peach Belt Conference rival USC Aiken outlasted the Lady Braves to claim the victory on Saturday afternoon inside of the Convocation Center. Set scores were 25-18, 16-25, 20-25, 25-20 and 15-7.

UNCP (6-8, 0-3 PBC) has dropped back-to-back conference matches, the Pacers (7-4, 2-1) picked up their fourth-straight win against the Black and Gold. 

Sarah Bower and Cecilia Brandon held the key to the UNCP offense, as Bower slammed a team-best 11 kills and Brandon contributed another 10 kills. UNCP outhit the Pacers, 47-33, through five sets. Shekinah-Joy Toloumu finished with her fourth-consecutive double-double performance, collecting 41 assists and 16 digs. Danielle Brown tallied a game-high 37 digs, while Marissa Baker added 22 digs for the UNCP defense. Brown currently sits as the digs leader in the PBC with 211 total digs this season. 

The Pacers relied on the strong hitting of Taylor Stratton and Leah Rodgers who turned in 19 kills and 15 kills respectively. Aly Johnson created a strong presence at the net for USCA as she notched five block assists and one solo block, Hannah Tierney also chipped in five block assists for the Pacers.

UNCP jumped out to a 1-0 advantage after taking the first set. Brown helped get the momentum going for the Lady Braves with a three-point serving run, giving UNCP a 15-13 lead over the Pacers. Morgan Westphal and Sabrina Gonzalez each had a three-point run of their own, helping UNCP stretch the lead out to nine at 23-14. The Black and Gold earned set point after an attack error from USCA. 

In the second set the Pacers answered back with a vengeance, three-conseuctive kills from Johnson gave USCA an early 4-0 lead. UNCP came within two, 10-8, but Tierney helped spark another Pacer offensive run, helping USCA take a 15-8 lead over the Lady Braves. A service ace closed out the set, with the match tied at one win apiece heading into the third frame. The Pacers pulled out the third set victory by using a match-high 14 team kills and taking advantage of UNCP mistakes.

Despite falling behind 2-1, the Black and Gold fought back in the fourth set. The Lady Braves totaled 14 kills, committing just five attack errors in set number four. UNCP pulled away, 11-6, after an offensive surge sparked by Caroline Pridgen. Back-to-back kills from Bower and Gonzalez would give UNCP the win and force a fifth set.

The Pacers came out to play in the final frame and took an 8-2 advantage easily after four-straight UNCP errors. Gonzalez helped the Black and Gold to close the gap after a serving run brought the Lady Braves within three, 9-6. Shawn Hotson gave USCA its final push, bringing the Pacers to 13-7. A kill from Rodgers followed by a block Johnson and Ashley Diedrich finished off the win for the Pacers.

Next up for the Lady Braves the squad will make the short trip down I-95 to Florence, S.C., for a PBC matchup with Francis Marion (8-1, 3-0) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. inside of the Smith University Center.