GEROLSTEIN, CEDENO SWEEP PBC WEEKLY HONORS
USC AIKEN DUO SWEEP ACCOLADES FOR SECOND TIME IN FOUR WEEKS

AIKEN, S.C.-- USC Aiken’s Mandy Gerolstein and Lauren Cedeno have been named the Peach Belt Conference Volleyball Player and Specialist of the Week, the conference office announced Monday afternoon.  It marks the second time in a month that the Lady Pacer duo has swept the league’s highest weekly honors.  Gerolstein picks up her fourth selection of the year, giving her seven for her career.  For Cedeno, it is the second weekly award this year for the sophomore setter.  (PHOTO BY: Ginny Southworth)

With seven career PBC Player of the Week awards, Gerolstein increases her school record total by two over former great Roxanna Rivera.  She is in sole possession of third place in PBC history, trailing only North Florida’s Jackie Struck (nine weekly awards from 2001 to 2004) and Traci Knuth of Armstrong Atlantic State (eight weekly awards from 2004 to 2006).

Gerolstein continued her sensational senior season, hitting .493 while averaging 3.90 kills and 0.70 blocks per game in leading USC Aiken to a perfect 3-0 week.  In a 3-0 blanking of Lander on Wednesday, Gerolstein rang up 12 kills and two blocks, hitting .370 as USC Aiken clinched the program’s second-straight PBC Regular Season Championship (sixth all-time). 

In a match-up with rival Augusta State, the 6-1 middle hitter from Millersville, Md. hit a blistering .800 with 16 kills and no errors on 20 attacks as the Lady Pacers rolled to the 3-0 victory.  On senior night, in a 3-1 win over Armstrong Atlantic State, Gerolstein added 11 kills and three blocks, hitting .364 as USCA finished off the program’s first unbeaten conference season in 15 years. 

Cedeno averaged 13.40 assists, 0.50 service aces, and 0.30 blocks per game as she directed the Lady Pacers to a .315 hitting percentage.  After a 38-assist performance in the Lander win, the sophomore setter from Jacksonville, Fla. recorded 47 assists in the win over the Lady Jaguars, guiding USCA to a phenomenal .500 hitting percentage.  She tacked on 49 assists, 10 digs, and two aces in the AASU victory. 

Gerolstein and Cedeno are the 28th and 29th PBC Player/Specialist of the Week selection in head coach Will Condon’s eight-year tenure and the 38th and 39th in the program’s 17-year NCAA history. 

Winners of 20 of their last 21 matches, USC Aiken (24-4, 10-0 PBC) heads into this weekend’s PBC Tournament as the top seed, as well as the defending tournament champions.  The Lady Pacers will face the winner of UNC Pembroke and Francis Marion on Saturday, November 10 at 7:00 PM in the second semifinal match of the evening.