PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke volleyball team stole a set from visiting USC Aiken Wednesday night at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court and forced extra rallies in another, but were unable to knock off the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) leading Pacers, falling 13-25, 24-26, 25-22, 18-25 on Senior Night.

Prior to the match, seniors Josephine Yang, Alicia Paeplow and Caroline Pridgen were honored for their hard work and dedication on and off the court as a member of the Braves' volleyball squad.

It's the fourth time this season the Braves (3-27, 0-16 PBC) have won a set in league play and it very well could have been two, as the home side outhit the Pacers (25-3, 14-2 PBC) .206 to .053 in the tight second stanza.

USC Aiken looked to be the far superior side in the opening set, rolling to a 25-13 victory, but the Black & Gold answered with their backs against the wall down 24-19 in the second set. UNCP rattled off five points in a row to bring the match even at 24-24, however, a service error from the home squad and an ace from the Pacers secured the 26-24 USC Aiken win.

The momentum from the dramatic second set seemed to carry over into the third stanza for the guests, as they jumped out to a 6-1 lead. The Braves rallied to win 10 of the next 13 points to halt the Pacers in their tracks and build a 13-11 advantage. A set that saw five ties and three lead changes was tied 18-18 before the home side grabbed four-consecutive points to force a Pacer timeout. Coming out of the break, USC Aiken pulled within two at 22-20, but UNCP used three kills in the final five points to escape with the 25-22 triumph.

After the Pacers raced to a 5-2 lead in the fourth set, the Black & Gold never got closer than two the rest of the way, dropping the final game 25-18.

The Braves hit .187 in the match, their second-highest clip in a loss this season, while the visitors hit .196, highlighted by a .500 mark in the first set. UNCP racked up nine blocks to the Pacers' four and posted 69 digs to USC Aiken's 59. Both marks for the Braves are the third most in conference play.

Sophomore Aquia Jones paced the Black & Gold with 13 kills, tying a season high, and led the team with a .323 attack percentage. Freshman Makaylah Elliott added 12 kills and Pridgen tacked on her sixth-consecutive match with double-digit kills, posting an even 10. Elliott tacked on a team-high five blocks, while Pridgen had four of her own.

Paeplow dished out a team-high 20 assists, the fifth time she's had at least 20 in a match this season. Paeplow added four kills, two blocks and a dig. Sophomore Bailee Jones racked up 19 assists and 10 digs, her sixth double-double of the 2016 campaign. Junior Cayce Bell posted a team-best 24 digs and tacked on three kills and two assists. Yang dug the ball nine times in what was the senior's final contest in front of the Pembroke faithful.

The Braves end the season with a two-match road trip, kicked off by a Friday tilt at Armstrong State in Savannah, Georgia. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Alumni Arena. UNCP will head further south for the season final Saturday, a 2 p.m. duel with Flagler in St. Augustine, Florida.