Friday, Aug. 28: The South Carolina indoor volleyball team opened their 2015 season Friday night with the Gamecock Invitational. They started their season off on a good note, beating Southeastern Louisiana 3-0.
The Gamecocks came out firing in the first set, taking an early 8-3 lead by the first timeout.
The Lady Lions tried to keep up with the Gamecocks, but South Carolina held a steady lead for the rest of the set and went on to claim the first set 25-17.
SE Louisiana would not go down easily and came out much stronger and in control of the second set, leading 7-1 by the first timeout. The Gamecocks fought back and eventually tied the set at 11, and then were on a roll. The Gamecocks were back in control and took the second set 25-18 and led the match 2-0.
The Gamecocks again took an early lead in the third set, leading the Lady Lions 9-3 at the first timeout. SE Louisiana tried to keep up, but South Carolina was completely in sync and won the set 25-12 to get the 3-0 win.
Dessaa Legros led the Gamecocks in points with 13.5 and matched a career high with 12 kills. Darian Dozier also majorly contributed to the win with nine kills and 12 points.
Saturday, Aug. 29: The South Carolina volleyball team was back in action on Saturday to round out the Gamecock Invitational. They beat North Carolina Central in three sets in the afternoon but fell to North Carolina State in three.
The Gamecocks had a great start against North Carolina Central, taking an early 11-2 lead. They kept the momentum up as they went on to win the first set 25-12.
South Carolina continued to dominate in the second set as they jumped to an 11-7 lead, and stayed in control to secure the win, 25-16. North Carolina Central tried to keep up in the third set and while they kept it close, South Carolina pulled away with a 25-19 win, taking the match 3-0.
The Gamecocks looked for a clean sweep of the weekend when facing North Carolina State, but the Wolfpack had other ideas. They took an early 9-4 lead in the set, but the Gamecocks kept it close, tying the set at 24. North Carolina State eventually took the set 27-25.
The Gamecocks tried to keep the next two sets even, but the Wolfpack pulled away. North Carolina State took the second set 25-16 and third set 25-14, beating South Carolina 3-0.
Dessaa Legros led the Gamecocks in points, with 22.5 total in both of Saturday’s matches.
South Carolina is now 2-1 on the season and will face rival Clemson at the Furman Invitational on Sept. 4.