When you think about the early success the USC volleyball team has had this season you need to search no further then the team's leaders.
It is hard to look past the trio of seniors that head the team, but when you have a captain like junior outside hitter Shonda Cole, you can't really help it.
"My part is not only being able to score on offense," Cole said, "but help create energy on the court."
Cole has held up her end of the deal as she has been the backbone of the Gamecocks scoring attack. Playing in all 34 games in South Carolina's first 10 matches, she leads the SEC in kills with 4.91 per game, leads the team with 167 kills, is third on the team in hitting percentage (.327), and is second in solo blocks with eight.
"They expect me to be a leader," Cole continued. "Hustle creates energy on the court. When we get down we have to have someone to keep the team up."
Over the summer, Cole got a crash course in leadership that has helped her this season as a Gamecock captain. The USA Women's Volleyball team selected Cole, the only athlete still in college selected, to train with them in their tour through the Dominican Republic, China, Korea, and Thailand.
"I got to play with some of the best girls in the world," Cole said. "I got to see how they lead on the court and what they do in certain situations. They've all been through what I'm going through now. They were able to give me advice on stuff that I wouldn't know how to handle."
This selection followed a season worthy of a spot on the All-SEC second team in 2004. Cole led the squad with 379 kills, recording double figures in 23 of the 27 matches. Eight of her 23 double figure performances were recorded in consecutive matches.
During her freshman year, Cole was second on the team in kills, and she was the co-leader of blocks among freshman.
Cole is a native of Kings Mountain, NC where she was a two-sport start at Kings Mountain High School. She was two-time state player of the year in volleyball and became the all time leading scorer for her high school's girl's basketball program. She was selected to the all-conference teams in both basketball and volleyball all four years of high school.
The Gamecocks started the season 5-0, but they have dropped three of their last five games. Despite the recent slump, Cole has high expectations for herself and the team. Her goals include an eventual All-American bid, and she wants to make the Olympic team that will compete in Beijing the year after she graduates.
Cole is hesitant to look too far into the future or set her hopes to high though.
"For myself, I want to make the All-SEC first team," Cole said. "I have a lot of high expectations for this team, too. I expect us to finish in at least the top three in the SEC."
The battle for that top-three finish will begin for the Gamecocks as they open SEC play Friday against LSU and will face Arkansas on Sunday. Both games will be played in Fayetteville, Ark.
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