GREENWOOD, S.C. – Lander posted a dominant first set and used the momentum of a strong rally in set two to key a 3-0 (25-6, 25-23, 25-14) win over the visiting UNC Pembroke volleyball team on Wednesday evening in Horne Arena.

The triumph, coupled with a similar 3-0 result on September 19 in Pembroke, gave the Bearcats (15-4, 5-2 PBC) a season sweep of the Braves (4-15, 1-6). It was the second-straight victory for the Bearcats who remain in the thick of things in the race for the Peach Belt Conference's regular season title. The loss trumped a bit of momentum for the Black & Gold who had celebrated their first league victory of the season on Friday at Francis Marion.

Nicole Mathews and Caroline Pridgen both led the way for the UNCP offensive attack with six kills apiece, while freshman Bailee Jones put up a team-best 13 assists. Alicia Paeplow turned in a double-digit (10) assist effort as well, while Ka'asha Jefferies grabbed eight digs.

Khiani Kelly hit .579 and posted a match-best 11 kills to pave the way for the hosts, while Julie Ferreira-Alves posted 17 digs to highlight the defensive effort.

Lander hit .400 in the night's opening set on the way to a 25-6 win, but the Braves led most of the way in their effort to knot things up in the second set. The Black & Gold took a 17-12 advantage in the second set on a service ace by Paeplow, but the Bearcats stormed back to take a 21-20 lead before prevailing, 25-23.

The Braves kept things close in set three through the first 11 serves, but Lander registered four-straight points to pull away for good. UNCP snagged two late points to get to within nine points, 23-14, but the hosts notched the final two points to seal the deal.

UNCP will be back in action again on Friday when they lace up to battle Georgia College (8-7, 3-4) in a key PBC tilt on Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. and admission to all 2015 UNCP volleyball home matches is free.