The South Carolina volleyball team (7-11) fell in three straight sets against the Alabama Crimson Tide (10-8) at the Carolina Volleyball Center on Sunday, Oct. 19. This marks the Gamecocks' seventh conference loss.
South Carolina was able to capture the first point of the set off a kill by senior middle Emily Beeker. An exchange of points occurred, until Alabama was able to take an early 7-6 lead.
However, a kill from junior right side hitter Laiya Ebo, an attack error from Alabama, and a service ace from junior middle Ava Leahy allowed the Gamecocks to retake the lead, 9-7.
Alabama was quick to regain offensive momentum, taking back the lead, 14-10, after a 5-0 run.
Despite kills from Beeker and freshman outside hitter Victoria Hill, as well as a block from senior outside hitter Alayna Johnson, the Crimson Tide maintained the lead. Alabama's lead continue to increase to 23-13, and they won the set a few points later, 25-15.
After a 9-0 run from the Crimson Tide, South Carolina achieved their first point of the second set from an Alabama service error committed by redshirt freshman setter Hannah Parant.
Junior outside hitter Nia Hall followed with a kill, and another Alabama service error from graduate student defensive specialist Trinity Stranger helped the Gamecocks gain some offensive rhythm. A kill from Leahy and blocks from junior outside hitter Phoebe Reyes, Leahy and Ebo allowed South Carolina to go on a 4-0 run, making the score 15-8.
A timeout was called by South Carolina after Alabama increased their lead to 19-8 following a 4-0 run. Despite kills from Leahy, Ebo and Beeker and a service ace from Leahy, Alabama was quick to put the final few points of the set away, winning 25-14.
South Carolina earned the first point of the third set with a kill by Hall. Though an early exchange of points occurred, Alabama pulled away after a 4-0 run, taking the lead with 5-2.
However, a kill from Beeker and a service ace from junior setter Sydney Floyd resulted in the Gamecocks only trailing by one point at 5-4.
Even with Alabama remaining dominant on the offensive side of the ball, South Carolina was able to stay only a couple of points behind, with blocks from Leahy and Ebo, as well as kills by Ebo and Hall. During the middle of the set, the Gamecocks trailed only by one point yet again, 11-10.
More exchanges of points ensued until Alabama was able to take a 19-15 lead, resulting in a timeout called by South Carolina. The Gamecocks called another timeout after Alabama increased their lead to 21-16.
One kill from Leahy and three from Beeker allowed South Carolina to get within three points of Alabama. The Crimson Tide called a timeout as a result, with the score at 23-20. A block from Beeker and Hall, as well as two kills from Hall resulted in the Gamecocks only trailing by one point, but Alabama put the third set away with a kill, winning the set and match, 25-23.
Margins in blocking
While both teams are essentially equal in the total number of blocks on the season, Alabama surged forward in the match due in part to having more blocks than South Carolina. Alabama ended the game with 12 total blocks compared to South Carolina's five.
Alabama has a total of 135.5 blocks for the season, while South Carolina has a total of 136 blocks. Beeker leads the team in blocking with 72 total blocks on the year.
During this match, it was Leahy and Ebo who led the team in blocks with two each.
Beeker steps up on attacking side
Beeker led the team with seven kills against Alabama. She previously tied her season-high of nine kills during the Gamecocks' previous match-up against Mississippi State. This marks Beeker's seventh game this season with seven or more kills.
While Beeker recognizes the practice that has been put in, she says that earning more kills is something the team has to work on.
"I feel good about where our middle-setter connection is because that is something we have been working on all season long, but as a collective, we just have to work on getting more kills from every area of the court," Beeker said.
Staying disciplined
Despite the loss, head coach Sarah Rumely Noble said she is proud of the manner in which the team continued to fight.
"We talk a lot about what our culture bucket is going to look like, the manner in which we are going to approach matches, the way we treat each other, the way we talk to each other, and regardless of the score, I felt like we did that at a high level," Rumely Noble said.
Beeker said she agrees, pointing out that this group is special and that they will continue to work and find improvement.
"It's just about continuing to find ways to score points, to kill balls, find ways to play for each other, continue to work harder everyday and find more ways to be disciplined," Beeker said. "We are going to find it, so we are just going to keep getting after it, it's what we do."
What's next?
The Gamecocks will take on their conference opponent, the Missouri Tigers, in Columbia, Missouri, on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. The game will streamed on the SEC+ Network.