Lander Battles Back to Take Third Set in Home Loss to USCA

USC Aiken USCA 13-5,5-3 Peach Belt

Lander Lander 7-11,4-4 Peach Belt

USC Aiken USCA

13-5,5-3 Peach Belt

Final

Oct. 16, 2026

Lander Lander

7-11,4-4 Peach Belt

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	F
USC Aiken USCA	25	25	22	25	(3)
Lander Lander	17	21	25	19	(1)

Summary
Box Score

Wilson Moreno

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | 10/16/2026 9:48:00 PM | Hailey Franklin - Assistant Sports Information Director

Lander Battles Back to Take Third Set in Home Loss to USCA

GREENWOOD - The Lander volleyball team battled back to take the third set Friday night but ultimately fell 3-1 to the University of South Carolina Aiken in Peach Belt Conference action at Finis Horne Arena.

The Bearcats (7-11, 4-4 PBC) hosted their annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night and took the court in pink as part of the evening's recognition. USCA (13-5, 5-3 PBC) secured the victory by set scores of 25-17, 25-21, 22-25 and 25-19.

Junior Karson Browning led Lander with 13 kills, four service aces and five blocks, finishing with a team-high 20 points. Quinn Butler followed with 11 kills and nine digs, while freshman Gracelyn America contributed nine kills.

Defensively, Sam Alwardt recorded a match-high 23 digs and two service aces. Freshman setter Madeline Green finished with 26 assists, 11 digs and three aces, while Andrea Crawford added 11 digs.

The Pacers took an early advantage in the opening set, building a 15-6 lead before Lander began to chip away at the deficit. The Bearcats used a four-point stretch, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Butler, to pull within 21-16. However, the Pacers maintained their advantage to take the first set 25-17.

The second set featured a tighter battle, with Lander taking an early 5-3 lead behind a Browning service ace. The Pacers eventually moved ahead 16-12 and extended their advantage to 21-14. The Bearcats continued to fight, using a late four-point run that included a kill from America and a Butler service ace to cut the deficit to 24-21 before USCA closed out the frame 25-21.

Facing a two-set deficit, Lander responded with a strong start to the third, opening with a 3-0 lead behind consecutive service aces from Green. The Bearcats later stretched their advantage to 13-9 before the Pacers rallied to tie the set at 14-14.

The teams traded points down the stretch, with Lander regaining a 21-20 lead on a block from Browning and Olivia Shaw. A Butler kill gave the Bearcats a 23-22 advantage before a Pacers attack error set up the highlight of the night, as Tyra Listenbee and Amelia May combined for a set-winning block to seal the 25-22 victory.

USCA opened the fourth set up 5-1, but Lander responded with four consecutive points to tie it 5-5. The Pacers regained control and eventually extended their lead to 22-14. Browning helped spark a late push with back-to-back service aces, bringing the Bearcats within five at 22-17, but USCA held on to secure the 25-19 win.

Lander finished the night with 41 kills, 11 service aces and 70 digs. The Bearcats held advantages in both service aces (11-10) and digs (70-68), while USCA finished with 51 kills and 12 blocks.

The Bearcats will close out their two-match series against USCA on Saturday at 3 p.m. inside Finis Horne Arena.

Print Friendly Version