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AUGUSTA, Ga. – The 2018 volleyball regular season came to a close on Saturday and the Peach Belt Conference has released the bracket for next week's tournament championship. The Augusta Jaguars earned the No. 3 seed and will play No. 6 Francis Marion in the PBC Quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 10.
The league has changed the format starting this year with only the top six teams in the standings advancing to tournament play. The top two seeds will get a bye leaving a pair of quarterfinal games early Saturday, Nov. 10, with two semifinal games to follow that evening. The championship match will be played on Sunday, Nov. 11. Lander University will serve as host with all matches taking place in Finis Horne Arena in Greenwood, S.C.
USC Aiken will be the #1 seed for the PBC Tournament after finishing the regular season with seven straight wins. The Pacers were 11-1 in conference play and claimed their ninth regular-season championship. USCA will be the tournament's top seed for the first time since 2015 and will be looking for their first tournament title since 2007.
Lander and Augusta entered Saturday's finale tied in the standings with the winner getting the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. The match went to five sets, but Lander prevailed 15-6 and will get the pass into the semifinals. It will be the highest seed Lander has had since the 2007 tournament, which they also hosted and reached the championship game.
Augusta takes the third seed following the loss in Greenwood on Saturday. The Jaguars finish 21-7 in the regular season, the most wins for the team since 2014, and were 7-5 in conference play. Augusta will be looking for their first trip to at least the semifinals since 2012. The Jags are also ranked second in the NCAA Southeast Region.
Flagler defeated UNC Pembroke on Saturday while Georgia College fell at USC Aiken, leaving both teams at 6-6 in the standings. Flagler takes the tiebreak and the #4 seed thanks to a regular-season sweep of the Bobcats. The three-time defending PBC tournament champion, Flagler has played in eight of the last nine championship games.
Georgia College will be the #5 seed and face Flagler in the quarterfinals. The Bobcats reached the PBC championship game for the first time in program history last season and made their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Francis Marion is the sixth seed and will face Augusta in Saturday's quarterfinal. The Patriots finished regular-season play on Friday with a loss at Flagler but have wins over Georgia College and Lander this season.
2018 Peach Belt Conference Volleyball Tournament
Saturday, Nov. 10
#5 Georgia College vs. #4 Flagler, 11:00 am
#6 Francis Marion vs. #3 Augusta, 1:30 pm
4/5 Winner vs. #1 USC Aiken, 4:00 pm
3/6 Winner vs. #2 Lander, 6:30 pm
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