AIKEN, S.C. – Peach Belt Conference-leading USC Aiken used a pair of sizeable runs to claim each of the first two sets, and then hit .262 in the fourth set en route to finishing off the visiting UNC Pembroke volleyball team, 3-1 (25-18, 25-15, 25-23, 25-14), on Wednesday evening inside the Convocation Center.

It was the third-straight loss for UNCP (5-20, 2-11 PBC) who will step back out of conference play on Saturday when they travel to take on Claflin. The Pacers (21-3, 10-3) have now won 13 of their last 14 matches and finished off a season sweep of the Black & Gold with Wednesday's win.

Nicole Mathews turned in an 11-kill, 11-dig performance to fuel her 12th double-double showing of the season and lead the Braves, while newcomer Bailee Jones logged a team-best 22 assists. Ashley Diedrich tallied a game-best 13 kills for the Pacers, while Emily Teelon registered a double-double with 34 assists and 10 digs.

The Braves grabbed eight of the first nine points in the opening set of the night, but USC Aiken rebounded with a 19-5 run to go up on top 20-13. UNCP fiddled with a comeback effort, but the hosts closed it out by winning four of the final five points. The second set was much of the same for the visitors who took a quick 4-1 advantage, only to have the hosts respond with a momentum-turning 13-5 run, before closing out the second set by taking the final five points.

It was UNCP's turn to stage a comeback in the third set, however, as the Braves battled back from a 17-12 deficit by collecting eight of the next 11 points to go out in front, 20-19. The Black & Gold nearly squandered a comfortable lead by giving away a service error on its initial set point, but Matthews put down a well-place kill to get the visitors on the board.

USC Aiken utilized 15 kills to claim the fourth set, but used a 7-0 run midway through to aid the effort.