Before the weekend series, head coach Scott Swanson said he would be happy if his squad only split the two games. With a Texas A&M team that went 25-6 overall last year coming into Columbia to face a young Gamecocks team, you could say Swanson’s tempered expectations were justified.
South Carolina (10-6, 2-2 SEC) came away with the split, but not in the way Swanson expected.
The Gamecocks were devastated as the crowd of 1,405 watched Arkansas (11-5, 4-1 SEC) take the victory in a 3-2 five-match win. The Razorbacks claimed the victory to the scores of 25-22, 23-25, 25-16, 25-23 and 15-12. The crowd ranked as the fourth largest in the history of the Volleyball Competition Facility, but was broken the following match by a 1,430 mark.
After Friday’s loss to Arkansas, South Carolina regrouped and put together a stellar performance to hand Texas A&M (9-5, 1-2 SEC) their second loss in SEC play. The loss to South Carolina was the Aggies’ first loss to an unranked team this season. South Carolina won 25-23, 25-20, 20-25 and 25-23 Sunday.
“We kind of let that one on Friday night slip away,” Swanson said. “But that’s really why this one means so much more.”
The Gamecocks came out swinging against Arkansas, exchanging games with the Razorbacks until the final kill. Much of the action Friday afternoon resembled that of a teeter totter motion, with neither team gaining too big of a lead.
Down two games to one, the Gamecocks took an early 4-1 lead in the fourth game. They would see that lead dissipate, however, and turn into a 12-10 Arkansas advantage. The Razorbacks would eventually grow their lead over South Carolina to 18-14. With their backs against the wall, the Gamecocks took the next four points to tie the game, and then rallied behind two kills from senior outside hitter Juliette Thévenin to win 25-23 and force a fifth game.
South Carolina was six points away from a victory in the fifth game, but saw a tenacious Arkansas team score seven straight points to take a lead they would never relinquish. It was a frustrating loss for the Gamecocks, who hit the ball hard but seemingly always at Arkansas senior defensive specialist Emily Helm, who had 31 digs. Helm was later named SEC Defensive Player of the Week.
“[After the Arkansas loss] we kept it very, very positive. We knew that it was a very disappointing loss for our kids, and it was very disappointing for the staff and fans,” Swanson said.
Wasting no time, the Gamecocks jumped out to an early lead in the first game of the Texas A&M match. South Carolina led by as many as five in the game, but saw that shrink late in the match. The Aggies tied the game up at 22, but South Carolina still managed to take the game 25-23.
The teams would then split the next two games, putting South Carolina one game away from a win.
Similar to the previous games, the fourth game of the set kept the crowd of more than 1,400 glued to their seats. The Gamecocks saw eight tied scores and five lead changes in the game before eventually claiming victory 25-23.
“We have a tendency to get really anxious and I think the last couple points, we kept a really good, calm energy,” sophomore right side and outside hitter Sarah Blomgren said. “We played through that rally really well and that’s what helped us win.”
The win is indicative of the team’s determination, Swanson said.
“This group just proved that if they fight, and if they want it, they’re going to go get it,” Swanson said. “And if they don’t get it, they’re going to go down clawing and scraping and scratching.”