GREENWOOD - Lander continued its hot start to the season, defeating USC Aiken 3-0 to open up Peach Belt Conference play.

A kill by Olivia Dow gave Lander a 6-2 lead early in the first set, but the Pacers scored five unanswered points to give USC Aiken their first lead and force a Lander timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Lander got another kill by Dow to tie the score. The Bearcats got a kill by Christina Aguayo, a service ace by Sophia Schneider, and two Pacer attack errors gave Lander an 11-7 lead. USC Aiken would call a timeout after Lander took a commanding 17-9 lead. The Bearcats would hold off the Pacers, and a kill by Aguayo gave Lander the 25-16 win. 

The Bearcats raced out to an 11-2 lead in the second set and did not look back, taking a commanding 25-15 win.

The third set would not be a runaway for the Bearcats, with neither team able to get more than a two-point lead until a kill by Lauren Dow made it 11-8. The Pacers responded with a 7-1 run that would give them a 15-12 lead. Trailing 16-13, Olivia Dow took a pass from Patricia Pantoja for a kill that sparked five-straight points by the Bearcats, forcing the Pacers to take a timeout. The Bearcat slowly pulled away and took the set 25-19 to complete the sweep of the Pacers. 

Lauren Dow led all palyers with 24 assists with 13 digs, recording her eighth double-double of the season. Katie Miller also had a double-double with 11 digs and a game-high ten kills. Patricia Pantoja had 21 digs, while McCayla Willingham, Annie Holesinger, and Lauren Dow had three blocks. Olivia Dow and Christina Aguayo finished with eight and seven kills, respectively. 

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