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GREENWOOD, S.C. – The UNC Pembroke volleyball team racked up 51 digs Saturday afternoon, its second-best mark in a three-set match, but were bested by hosts Lander in straight sets at Horne Arena. 

The Braves (1-11, 0-2 Peach Belt Conference) compiled a negative hitting percentage for the second-consecutive match, while the Bearcats (10-0, 2-0 PBC) remained undefeated and tied the best start in program history with the 25-13, 25-17, 25-11 victory.

The Black & Gold hit -.009 as a team, knocking down 20 kills and dishing out 17 assists. UNCP surrendered 11 service aces and 40 kills, allowing Lander to hit .257, including a .306 clip in the final stanza. 

After falling behind one set to none and 15-9 in the second set, the Braves battled back, winning the next four points to cut the deficit to 15-13. But Lander took 10 of the final 14 points to win the set and used that momentum to complete the sweep.

Freshman Katelynn Leach led all Braves with a .182 hitting percentage, with three kills and one error on 11 attacks. Alicia Paeplow had a team-high five kills, adding six assists and three digs. Bailee Jones tallied eight assists, tops on the team, and was one of three UNCP players with double-digit digs (14). Madelyn Ashwell and Josephine Yang each added 11 digs. 

The Braves open the home portion of their schedule Friday against Montevallo (7-4, 1-1 PBC). First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. The Falcons won both meetings with UNCP last season.