AIKEN, S.C. – USC Aiken (14-12, 6-4 PBC)
rallied from an 0-2 hole to force a decisive game five before
falling 3-2 to Peach Belt Conference leading Armstrong Atlantic
State (19-11, 9-1 PBC) on Saturday afternoon. Game scores were
30-28, 30-27, 20-30, 28-30, and 15-7. The win marks the
17th-straight for the Lady Pirates over the Lady Pacers dating
back to 1999. Leah Schmiedge paced AASU with 10 kills and 11 blocks hitting .444. Traci Knuth and Christina Flores each added 14 kills and combined for eight blocks and 18 digs. Knuth registered her 1,000th career kill becoming the fifth player in AASU history to reach that milestone.
Sophomore middle hitter Mandy Gerolstein had a big match for the Lady Pacers racking up 21 kills, six blocks, and six digs hitting .410. Junior middle Laura Williams added 14 kills, four blocks, and a .440 hitting percentage. Senior setter Rachel Dalitz had 57 assists to go along with six service aces and six digs while freshman Stefanie Durham totaled a match-high 17 digs.
In game one, the Lady Pacers led early 10-7 before AASU fought back to tie it up at 13-13. Trailing 21-20, the Lady Pirates rattled off five-straight points to surge in front 25-21. USCA, however, scored five of the next six points to knot the game up for the 12th time at 26-26, but AASU closed out the game 30-28.
Game two again featured tight play throughout. After USCA built a 14-10 advantage, Armstrong Atlantic State tied it up at 14-14. A 3-0 spurt created a 21-18 edge for AASU and with both teams alternating points the rest of the game, the Lady Pirates claimed the 30-27 win.
A couple of early 6-0 and 7-1 runs fueled the Lady Pacers’ quick start and a 16-5 lead. Dalitz served up four aces to open the game as USCA cruised to the 30-20 win. Gerolstein came alive in the third game with six kills on seven attempts for an .857 hitting percentage.
Trailing 23-19 in game four, the Lady Pacers rallied behind three Gerolstein kills in an 8-1 run to bolt in front 27-24 and grab the 30-28 win, forcing the decisive fifth game.
AASU regrouped, however, in game five opening to a 4-0 lead. One of Missy Deardorff’s 12 kills on the day pulled the Lady Pacers within two at 7-5, but six-straight by AASU capped by Rindy Vidovich’s kill put the game away for the Lady Pirates.
USC Aiken hit .178 compared to .239 for Armstrong Atlantic State. Both teams blocked well with AASU holding a 16.0 to 10.0 advantage. The Lady Pacers did serve up 13 aces to just five for AASU, but 17 service errors negated some of that advantage.
USC Aiken will host UNC Pembroke on Friday, November 4 at 7:00 PM. Armstrong Atlantic State returns home to Savannah, Ga. to host USC Upstate on Friday at 6:00 PM.