The South Carolina volleyball team defeated South Carolina Upstate 3-0 on Friday night at the Carolina Volleyball Center.
The Gamecocks started the first set by gaining several kills over the Spartans, putting itself in the lead. Freshman outside hitter Victoria Hill led the offense in kills along with senior outside hitter Alayna Johnson, getting a combined eight points from kills.
South Carolina kept the momentum through the second half of the first set, barely letting USC Upstate get any points on the scoreboard. The Spartans struggled throughout the set with several attack and service errors, which ultimately led to the Gamecocks winning the set 25-11.
The Gamecocks managed to start the second set strong due to the Spartans' continued attack errors. Junior outside hitter Nia Hall led the team's offense in the second set, getting four of her total seven kills in the match.
South Carolina's defense held firm with strong receiving skills, which that helped the offense thrive during the second set, as it won the set 25-13.
The third set once again started with USC Upstate trailing South Carolina. The Spartans fought back, tying the score in the middle of the set with a 4-0 scoring run against the Gamecocks. As USC Upstate continued to gain momentum in the third set, the Gamecock’s offense held strong and found itself winning the set 25-23, securing the victory.
All-around offense
South Carolina's offense shined in large part due to its outside hitters throughout the game, with three of them getting over five kills each. The team was able to play a cleaner game than the Spartans, only getting nine attack errors compared to USC Upstate's 19.
"We've been talking all week about getting our middles a little bit more involved, and that definitely helped our offensive presence collectively," head coach Sarah Rumely Noble said. "It's about killing balls, it's about being assertive, it's about serving tough and blocking well, and they did all those things really well."
Hill on defense
Hill took a more defensive approach in set three, assisting the team on the back line and ending the game with four digs. Hill said she has been working in practice to play defense more effectively.
"I've been just really focused and really locked in on staying in base and being able to make moves when I can back there," Hill said.
Blocking at the net
The Gamecocks played strong defense at the net, stopping the Spartans from gaining several points. South Carolina ended the contest with 11 total blocks, while USC Upstate ended with four.
Senior middle Emily Beeker led the team with seven total blocks, five of which were assisted. Beeker's blocking also helped her lead the team in scoring points, getting 7 of her 10.5 points off of blocks.
What's next?
The Gamecocks will play the University of Kentucky Wildcats on Sept. 24 in Lexington, Ky., to begin SEC play. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on the SEC+ Network.