PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke volleyball team held a lead in all three sets Tuesday night and limited visiting USC Aiken to its lowest hitting percentage in its last five outings, but the Pacers battled back in each set to claim a three-set victory in Peach Belt Conference (PBC) action.  

MATCH INFORMATION
Score: UNC Pembroke 0, USC Aiken 3 (16-25, 19-25, 15-25)
Records: UNC Pembroke (4-21, 0-9 PBC); USC Aiken (21-2, 7-0 PBC)
Location: Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court
Series: USC Aiken leads 53-13

HOW IT HAPPENED
Box Score/Play-by-Play

FIRST SET
-The Braves led by as many as three (12-9) and as late as 13-12, but USC Aiken used a 13-3 run to end the set and go up 1-0 in the match.
-Aquia Jones had a team-best four kills in the opening set.

SECOND SET
-A Madelyn Ashwell kill put the hosts up 14-12, but a 10-0 Pacer run erased the UNCP advantage and handed the guests a 22-14 lead.
-The Black & Gold grabbed four of five points to pull within five at 24-19 before a USC Aiken kill ended the set and put the Pacers up 2-0.

THIRD SET
-The Pacers controlled the third and final set from the start and led by as many as 11 en route to the sweep of the Braves.
-A mini 3-0 UNCP run cut the deficit to 16-10, but USC Aiken answered with a 5-1 run to regain the momentum.

NOTABLES
-The Braves hit a team-high .189 in the second set and had double-digit blocks for fifth time this season and the second time in the last three matches.
-Makaylah Elliott paced the hosts with seven kills and tacked on a career-high nine block assists, one service ace and one dig.
-Cayce Bell logged a team-high 21 digs and dished out four assists, while Bailee Jones handed out a team-best 12 assists.

UP NEXT
The Braves head west to Georgia for a Friday duel with the Bobcats of Georgia College. First serve is set or 7 p.m. at the Centennial Center in Milledgeville. The Bobcats (15-5, 4-3 PBC) knocked off Lander in straight sets Tuesday night and sit fourth in the league standings. Georgia College leads the all-time series 7-2 over the Black & Gold, including a three-set victory on Sept. 23 in Pembroke.