AUGUSTA, Ga. - Lander defeated USC Aiken 3-1 Friday evening to advance to the finals of the Peach Belt Championship, where they will take on top-seed Augusta tomorrow at 1:00 PM. 

The Jaguars jumped out to a 7-3 lead early in the first set, but Lander would slowly chip away at the deficit. Trailing 12-10, the Bearcats would get a kill from Olivia Dow and two Pacer attack errors to take a 13-12 lead. With the score tied at 15, Lander would get a kill, and a block from Blondie Penflor, and an ace by Sophia Schneider to take an 18-15 lead. The Bearcats would not look back as they took the set 25-18. 

With the Pacers leading 12-10 in the second set, Lander took advantage of a Pacer service error and an attack error to tie the set at 12. Kills by Annie Holesinger and Katie Miller would give Lander a 14-12 lead. The Bearcats would end the set on a 6-0 run to take the set 25-18. 

The Pacers would not go down without a fight, taking the third set 25-22. The Bearcats raced out to the early lead in the fourth set, leading 9-3. With Lander leading 22-16, it looked like the Bearcats would cruise to the win, but USC Aiken would outscore Lander 7-1 to tie the set at 23. A kill by Olivia Dow put Lander up 24-23, but the Pacers again tied the score. A kill from Christina Aguayo and an attack error from the Pacers gave Lander a 26-24 win and a 3-1 win. 

Katie Miller and Olivia Dow finished with 17 and 14 kills, respectively, to lead Lander. Lauren Dow dished out 41 assists and had 17 digs, while Patricia Pantoja had a game-high 32 digs. McCayla Willingham and Olivia Dow each had five blocks for the Bearcats. 

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