JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – USC Aiken hit .286 as the Pacers defeated Carson-Newman 25-18, 25-21 and 25-15 Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse in the South Atlantic Conference versus the Peach Belt Conference Crossover.
The Eagles held a 5-4 lead in the opening set when the Pacers rattled off an 8-1 string to take a 12-6 edge. The closest C-N got the rest of the set was three points at 18-15 as a kill from Christine Carroll put Aiken ahead 1-0. Freshman middle blocker Alex Biro (Ootlewah, Tenn.) had four kills on five swings in the first set.
The score was tied six times in the second stanza with the final time coming at 12-12 when the Pacers won three of the next four to begin to separate themselves in the contest. USC Aiken won four straight points after the C-N pulled within two to push the lead to 23-17 and went ahead 2-0 on a kill from Avery Macklin.
The Pacers hit .346 in the third set and trailed just one time at 2-1 before an 8-2 sequence put the visitors ahead 9-4. The Eagles closed the gap to three points twice until USC Aiken ran away with the final set.
Carson-Newman accumulated a .206 hitting percentage with 40 digs, six blocks and two service aces while USC Aiken notched a .286 attack clip with 45 digs, seven aces and two rejections.
Freshman outside hitter Marnie Streeter (Goldvein, Va.) led the Eagles with nine kills and a .333 attack percentage while Biro and sophomore middle blocker Natalie Harris (Monroe, N.C.) each had six kills.
Junior setter Anna Patton (Franklin, Tenn.) finished with 22 assists, five digs and four kills. Senior libero Taylor Lowe (Franklin, Tenn.) piled up 12 digs.
Taylor Stratton led all players with 14 kills hitting .333 to go along with seven digs, three assists and three service aces. Emily Teelon had 27 assists and Danielle Mercer had 13 scoops.
Carson-Newman concludes play in the SAC/PBC Crossover at 5 p.m. against Georgia College. Fans can follow the live stats at cneagles.com/livestats or @CNathletics on Twitter.
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