Howley, Thomas lead South Carolina to first win over Clemson since 2009
South Carolina defeated Clemson in three sets on Friday in front of more than 1,500 people, the third-largest crowd in the history of its 16-year-old Volleyball Competition Facility.
The Gamecocks swept the Tigers 25-23, 25-20, 25-19, beating them for the first time since 2009. Coach Scott Swanson gave credit not only to his players, but to the rowdy home crowd as well.
"Incredible," Swanson said of the attendance. "With everybody that came out ... our girls played amazing volleyball. They did everything we asked them to do and more, and to beat a team like Clemson that is really physically bigger and better than us, it was a great performance."
The first set of the night set the tone for the rest of the match. The Gamecocks and Tigers fought point for point, each with their own array of high-velocity spikes and serves. With the score tied up at 14, USC capitalized on three Clemson errors to go on an 8-3 run. After Clemson closed the gap to one point at 24-23, South Carolina took the first set with a spike from sophomore blocker Cara Howley.
"We knew what Clemson was capable of, and we knew they were going to hit some balls straight down," Swanson said. "We couldn't let that affect us. We hit really smart and blocked what we could."
As the night went on, the Gamecocks got better. Clemson committed 21 errors, compared to only six for USC.
"In rally score we proved that if you manage your risk and hit smart shots, it beats teams that hit the ball straight down really hard," Swanson said. "To only average two errors a set is incredible. There's teams at the Final Four, national championship level that rarely do that."
While in the first set the score was tied six times, by the third set the Gamecocks only relinquished the lead once.
South Carolina matched Clemson's physical style of play all night long. The Gamecock front line proved to be one of the deciding factors of the match, as the Tigers had no answer over the net.
"They want to be big at the net, block as much as they can and they have defenders ready for whatever you hit over and around the block," Swanson said. "Because they are bigger, they're not quite as fast and skilled with the ball control as some of our players are."
Howley and sophomore hitter Bethanie Thomas ran the front line for South Carolina. Thomas and Howley helped the Gamecocks out-block Clemson 10 to three, adding a combined 11 kills on the night. Junior hitter Juliette Thevenin continued to provide a powerful spiking presence, adding 15 kills of her own for the Gamecocks.
"Juliette had one hitting error, and she set the most of anyone on the team," Swanson said. "She hit .500 with 15 kills. That is an All-American performance for sure."
Senior setter Taylor Bruns provided offensive power from the middle, finishing the day with 10 kills, 30 assists and seven digs.
"The passers were putting the ball were I needed it, and Clemson wasn't quite prepared for that," Bruns said. "It just feels great to come out and play like we can play and beat Clemson."
Bruns also credited the crowd's support as one of the deciding factors of the game.
"The fans were incredible tonight," she said. "They were with us every step of the way ... and it felt great to have that Gamecock support behind us."