PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke volleyball squad saw six set points slip away Saturday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court in a three-set loss to Peach Belt Conference (PBC) foe Georgia College.

The Braves (2-25, 0-14 PBC) were unable to convert a pair of set points in the second stanza and saw four set points go the Bobcats (15-8, 6-5 PBC) way in the third period. It's the eighth-straight loss overall for UNCP, while Georgia College improves to 6-2 all-time against the Black & Gold.

After running away with the opening set, the guests found some tough sledding in set two. There were 13 ties and 10 lead changes in the second set, but an Aquia Jones kill put the Braves up 25-24 with a chance to win their second set at home this season. After a Bobcat kill, Jones returned the favor again for a 26-25 UNCP advantage, but Georgia College rallied to win the final three points with two kills and a UNCP error.

It was much of the same back-and-forth battle in the third set, but the Braves looked destined to squeak out a win after grabbing a 24-22 lead. The Bobcats notched back-to-back kills to pull even at 24-24, but freshman Makaylah Elliott gave the hosts their third set point with a kill. Unable to deliver the knockout blow, Elliott did the same at 25-25 for UNCP's fourth set point, but Georgia College once again rattled off the final three points to complete the hard-fought sweep.

The Braves were proficient with their serves, racking up seven service aces to Georgia College's one. Junior Cayce Bell paced the home side with four, while senior Caroline Pridgen added two and classmate Alicia Paeplow had one.

UNCP hit .171 in the match, the highest attack percentage in a loss for the Braves since Sept. 10, highlighted by a .333 clip in the final set. The Bobcats hit .260 and also had their highest mark in the third set at .300. The Braves' 42 kills and 42 assists are the most in a three-set match this season.

Pridgen led the way with 14 kills, her third-consecutive match with at least 12, and her .480 attack percentage is her third-highest mark this season. Elliott added 10 kills, the sixth time this season in double digits, and Jones racked up seven. Paeplow handed out a team-high 19 assists and added five kills, three blocks and three digs. Sophomore Bailee Jones registered 18 assists, seven digs and two kills. Three Braves dug the ball at least 10 times, as freshman Anna Heinz led the way with 15, Bell tacked on 11 and senior Josephine Yang added 10.

The Braves will enjoy four days off before Shaw comes to Pembroke for a 7 p.m. non-conference match Thursday. The Bears (15-6) have won 15 of their last 16 overall, 10 of those in sweep fashion. The Black & Gold lead the all-time series with Shaw 18-1 dating back to the first meeting in 1979, including eight in a row. The lone Bears' win came in 1999.