FLORENCE, SC – Junior Alexzandra Reed and sophomore Chiquita Rivers combined for 26 kills, but Francis Marion University lost its Peach Belt Conference season opener to USC Aiken 25-22, 25-17, 25-21, Friday night (Sept. 19) in women's volleyball action.

Francis Marion (2-7, 0-1) will play host to Flagler College on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Smith University Center.  Admission is free.

Reed, ranked 16th nationally in kills per set, led FMU with 14 kills and four blocks.  Rivers registered her first double-figure kill effort as a Patriot with 12 kills and a .360 hitting percentage.  Senior setter Sloane Shank recorded 32 assists, while junior libero Jessica Amador dug up a match-high 18 balls.

Ashley Diedrich led USCA (7-2, 1-0) with 13 kills and 10 digs, while setter Sheila Walsh tallied 30 assists and 12 digs.

USCA used a 7-0 run in the opening set to erase an early Francis Marion lead.  The Pacers would not trail again, although FMU crept to within a single point on four occasions, the final time at 18-17.

Again the Patriots led briefly in set two, but a 10-1 spurt gave the Pacers a commanding lead they never relinquished.

The third set was tightly contested with FMU forging a 20-20 deadlock on a kill by Reed from a Shank set.  However, three straight kills by the Pacers and an attack error by Francis Marion proved crucial to the USCA win.

USC Aiken def. Francis Marion Univ. 25-22,25-17,25-21

USC Aiken (7-2 , 1-0 PBC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Ashley Diedrich
13-2-3; Taylor Stratton 8-0-0; Aly Johnson 6-0-2; Alicia Hines 5-0-1;
Sheila Walsh 5-1-0; Shawn Hotson 3-0-0; Monica Cardona 1-1-0; Katie
Toman 0-1-0; Totals 41-5-3.0. (Assists) - Sheila Walsh 30. (Dig
leaders) - Sheila Walsh 12; Monica Cardona 12; Ashley Diedrich 10

Francis Marion Univ. (2-7 , 0-1 PBC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Alexzandra
Reed 14-1-4; Chiquita Rivers 12-0-3; Shelby Jones 4-0-2; Shelby
Schindler 3-0-5; Carlie Smith 2-0-1; Sloane Shank 0-0-2; Totals
35-1-9.0. (Assists) - Sloane Shank 32. (Dig leaders) - Jessica Amador
18; Alexzandra Reed 6

Site: Florence, SC (Smith Univ. Center)
Date: Sep 19, 2014   Attend: 241   Time: 1:21   
Referees: Tad Watson, Joe Liquori
Liberos: Amador (FMU), Cardona (USCA)