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Will DeBoerAIKEN, S.C. – Unable to follow up its first league win with a second, the Columbus State University volleyball team lost to Peach Belt Conference leader USC Aiken 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-23)
on Friday night. The PBC match was played at the Convocation Center in Aiken, S.C.
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Megan Frame led the way for the Lady Cougars (4-21, 1-12) with 11 kills, while
Kylie Beaubien added 10 of her own.
Cori Ehmen registered her eighth double-double and fourth in a row with 32 assists and 15 digs.
Caytlin Merritt racked up 17 digs to pace the defense.
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The two teams engaged in a tight first set, as a Frame kill put Columbus State (4-21, 1-12) within two at 14-12. The seesaw swung back and forth all the way to a 21-19 home advantage, at which point USC Aiken (22-3, 11-3) surged ahead with three straight points. The Lady Cougars got two back on kills by Beaubien and
Andrea Skipor, but a hammer from Alicia Hines clinched the opening frame for the Pacers.
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USC Aiken controlled the second set from the get-go, jumping out to a 10-6 lead after back-to-back CSU attack errors. The Lady Cougars hung tough though, tying the set at 13 on a Frame solo block and eventually tying it at 14, 15 and 16. After a Beaubien strike cut an Aiken lead to 18-17, the Pacers rattled off the next six points in a row. A Skipor kill to give Columbus State the serve back was not enough as Aly Johnson sent a kill into the hardwood for the 25
th point.
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After the Pacers pounced to the tune of a 10-4 run to start the third set, the Lady Cougars rebounded for seven straight, six off the serve of Frame. Beaubien swatted back a Hines attack to give CSU an 11-10 lead. The two sides traded blows for the rest of the set. Down 21-20, Beaubien launched a rocket to the floor to take the serve back. The Skipor-Beaubien connection blocked a Julia Forster swing and an ace by Ehmen gave the Lady Cougars a 23-21 advantage. That would be it for CSU's scoring though as the Pacers strung together the last four points, converting match point with a Lauren Howard kill.
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Columbus State remains in the Palmetto State for a
Saturday matinee at Lander. First serve from Horne Arena in Greenwood, S.C. is set for
2:00 p.m.Â