Oct. 30, 2008

South Carolina vs. Arkansas | Friday, 7 p.m.

| Live Video

South Carolina vs. Ole Miss | Sunday, 1:30 p.m.

| Live Video

General Information

Game Notes | Promotions

COLUMBIA, S.C. – After falling in two hard-fought, five-set matches last weekend, South Carolina returns home for a three-match homestand against Arkansas and Mississippi. Friday’s contest against the Razorbacks is slated for a 7 p.m. start, while the Ole Miss match begins at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

Arkansas starts the weekend with a 6-15 overall record and a 3-8 mark in the SEC. The Hogs ended a three-match losing streak last weekend with a victory over Auburn. The Rebels enter Friday’s action with a 10-10 overall record and a 6-5 league mark. They swept their two matches last week at home against Arkansas and Auburn. Mississippi has gone 2-3 away from the Gillom Sports Center in league play during the 2008 season.

Belita Salters Continues Record Book Assault
Redshirt senior Belita Salters has done a lot during her time in Columbia, and the record books show that. She already stands in the top 10 all-time in hitting percentage, solo blocks, total blocks and blocks per set. Below is a chart of all the career lists she could move up on this season, including the numbers of the people ahead of her. Last season, Salters recorded 33 solo blocks and 128 total, averaging 1.21 blocks a game, which stood 10th in the Southeastern Conference in 2007.

Record-type Performances
The middle blockers for South Carolina have turned in some stellar performances over the past two seasons, with redshirt senior Belita Salters writing her name in the single-match record books twice already in 2008. She hit a career-best .543 (21-2-35) in the five-set victory over UNLV, the third-highest average for a Gamecock in a five-set match. She followed that with a .536 (17-2-28) mark in the victory at Rhode Island in the Art Carmichael Classic, which stands fourth on the five-set match charts.

After watching Salters put her name in the record book twice, sophomore middle blocker Megan Laughlin decided to get in on the action. Her .652 (15-0-23) against the College of Charleston ranked as the fifth-best output in a three-set match in history, replacing Lori Rowe’s .636 versus Southern Miss on Oct. 15, 1983.

But that mark got bumped off the list when Laughlin hit .733 (11-0-15) in the sweep of South Carolina State. Now Laughlin is tied for second on that chart with Rowe’s Nov. 12, 1983 performance against East Carolina.

That was not the only mark made on Oct. 23 against South Carolina State. In the first meeting between the volleyball teams of the two schools, the Gamecocks set a new program record with a .587 hitting percentage, topping the .561 mark set against Liberty on Sept. 1, 2000.

Is It That Simple?
The Gamecocks enter the weekend with a 16-6 record, and the match-by-match stats tell us one thing about the losses. If South Carolina out-hits its opponent, it wins. The Garnet and Black are 16-0 when it out-hits its opposition. In the team’s six losses, they were out-hit when they compiled percentages of .085 (Arizona State), .168 (Mississippi), .200 (Kentucky), .186 (Florida), .180 (Georgia) and .197 (LSU). Their worst performance in a win was at Arkansas, when the squad hit .182. The Gamecocks are also 14-0 when they have less hitting errors and 14-1 when they have more assists and more kills than the other side.

Other Notables in Win/Loss Comparison
Some Gamecocks have been better about keeping an even keel through wins and losses. The notables that has stayed fairly even is Belita Salters. While her hitting percentage is down .173 points (.449-.276) from wins to losses, her kills per set are nearly the same, from 3.13 in triumphs to 3.04 in defeats. Libero Sarah Cline currently has performed better, statistically, in losses than wins, making 4.04 digs per set in defeats compared to 3.85 in victories. The other person to perform better in wins than losses has been Meredith Moorhead, who has a 2.00 kills-per-frame mark in losses while making just 1.47 kills per game in wins. Moorhead also hits nearly 80 points better in losses than wins.

Home Not as Hospitable Recently
The Gamecocks are looking to reverse a recent trend in regards to their home record. Last season, the squad went 8-5 at home, which was its best mark since 2002. However, from 2003-07, South Carolina was just 31-31 (.500) at the Volleyball Competition Facility and had just two season above .500 in that period. In the seven previous seasons since moving into the building, the squad never had a losing home record and owned a 75-16 (.824) record. This season, the Gamecocks are 7-1 at home, taking the first six before falling to nationally-ranked Kentucky. Three of those five wins came over 2007 NCAA Tournament teams: College of Charleston, Clemson and LSU.

Some Like It Better at Home
It’s not all that uncommon for teams to play better at home. Some Gamecocks, though, have a stark difference in statistics from home and away. Ivana Kujundzic has been much better at the Volleyball Competition Facility, averaging 4.54 kills per set on a .327 hitting percentage. Compare that to her 3.22 kills-per-set mark and .218 hitting percentage away from Columbia. Her defense, however, has been better away from home, making 3.13 digs per frame on the road compared to 2.27 at home. Belita Salters also seems to be a homebody, hitting .500 at home compared to .348 on the road. The biggest difference may be for Meredith Moorhead, who hits .336 on the South Carolina campus and .177 elsewhere. As a team, the Gamecocks hit .114 higher at home (.339-.225) and make over two kills a set more than they have in 14 matches away from Columbia.

Digs and Serve Reception Key to Gamecocks’ Start
When South Carolina’s season ended last November, the coaching staff immediately made a goal to improve the team’s defense, particularly digs and serve receptions. It seems that hard work has paid off. The Gamecocks currently lead the SEC and stand 70th nationally with 15.35 digs per set. That’s just 1.9 digs off the squad’s pace from last season when each game contained five more points.

Something that might be missed, however, is the fact the team’s serve reception has also improved. Last year, South Carolina made 1.3 errors per set and successfully received a serve 94.5 percent of the time. The 2008 percentage stands just over that mark at 94.8 percent, as the squad now gives up 0.9 aces per set. In fact, the squad’s opponents have just 74 aces on the season while making 143 service errors in the process. The Gamecocks’ serving game has cut down on the errors, making 21 more errors than their 93 aces this season.

Blocking Is a Team Effort
With a lot of experience back, it makes working together easier. That has really come into play with the Gamecocks’ blocking efforts in 2008. The team still is led by Belita Salters and Megan Laughlin in the middle, but they have gotten a lot of help up front. Five of the six regular front-row players average around a block per match (0.3 blocks per set) in 2008, with the other checking in at 0.21 blocks per set, just below that threshold. Last season, five Gamecocks ended the year above that 0.3 mark.

Maybe Not a Team Effort, but Avoiding Blocks Are Good, Too
So far the Gamecocks have been adept at avoiding the opposition’s blocking schemes. South Carolina has been blocked an average of 1.77 times per set this season, which ranks third in the SEC. Kentucky leads the way with a 1.30 mark, while Alabama’s opponents have maintained a 1.50 blocks-per-set average this season. When South Carolina gets more blocks than they hit into, they are 10-0 on the year.

Just Some Love, That’s All We Want
The Carolina Gamecocks have put themselves in impressive company, defeating six teams that played in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Only four other teams not in last year’s field have matched that, including Illinois, Miami (Fla.), Saint Louis and Texas A&M. Both the Illini and Billikens are currently ranked, while neither of the other three are receiving votes (though South Carolina and Miami both did for two weeks: Sept. 22 and Sept. 29). The two that are ranked deserved to be, but an argument can be made for the other three, especially South Carolina. The Gamecocks defeated three teams that won in the first round, (Dayton, Clemson and LSU), while the Aggies have victories over BYU, a 2007 regional finalist, and Oklahoma, who won its first-round contest but fell to Florida in the second. The Hurricanes have just one win over a team (Duke) that made it out of the first round. The rest of South Carolina’s wins (UNLV, College of Charleston and Alabama) could be seen as stronger than Texas A&M’s (American, Siena, Texas State and Missouri) or Miami’s (Alabama, South Dakota State, Texas State and Sacramento State twice).

Gamecock Version of Triplets
The Indianapolis Colts were the most recent version of “triplets” in the NFL, while it’s believed that the Dallas Cowboys originated the term talking about the team’s top three players. For the Gamecocks, the triplets are senior Belita Salters, junior Ivana Kujundzic and sophomore Megan Laughlin. As shown below, Kujundzic has led the Gamecocks 13 of the 22 matches this season in kills, while Salters has topped the squad five times and Laughlin four. What that chart doesn’t show you is the consistency of the top three. Kujundzic has ranked second in eight of those nine matches that she didn’t lead, while Laughlin and Salters have also stood second seven times each. Others have stepped up when needed, as Meredith Moorhead and Annie Thomas have each ranked second in kills once. Moorhead has even led the squad once this season, at No. 8 Florida. And freshman Teresa Stenlund did her best Laughlin or Salters impression during her one start, providing a great second option on offense against LSU.

A Pair of Streaks End, One Survives
Two Gamecocks saw their consecutive sets-played streak come to an end during the opening weekend of SEC play. Middle blockers Belita Salters and Megan Laughlin both missed the match against LSU due to different ailments. That ended streaks of 141 and 140 straight sets played, respectively, for the pair. The longest current streak is held by Ivana Kujundzic, who has played in 173 straight sets, dating back to the Boston College match in 2007.

Kujundzic Takes Home Weekly Awards
Junior outside hitter Ivana Kujundzic picked up the Gamecocks’ first SEC award of the season, claiming the Offensive Player of the Week certificate on Monday, Sept. 15. Kujundzic also earned the CVU.com National Player of the Week award, the first national award for a Gamecock volleyball player since Sept. 16, 2006. The Subotica, Serbia, native averaged 4.36 kills and 3.09 digs per set with a .355 hitting percentage during the Carolina Challenge. She nearly single-handedly won the fifth set against archrival Clemson, recording six kills, including four that staved off match point or set up Carolina for the win.

Gamecocks Show Skills in Non-Conference
Comparing the stats from each weekend is one bit of evidence about how much hard work during practice pays off for a team. The Gamecocks increased their offense in each weekend tournament, starting at 12.4 kills and 11.1 assists per set at Arizona State, moving to 13.5 kills and 11.4 assists in the Art Carmichael Classic before breaking out for 15.8 kills and 14.8 assists in the Carolina Challenge. The Garnet and Black’s hitting percentage also climbed each week, starting at .197 before shooting to .308 and .324. The defense has been steady, never dropping below 15.7 digs per frame.

Garnet Bring Back Majority of Production
South Carolina should be able to pick up where they left off in 2007. In most major statistical categories, the squad returns 85 percent of the production from last season. The highest percentage back comes in assists and digs, as 94 percent of last year’s totals are back. The squad also has 85 percent of its aces back, including nine of the 10 players that registered at least one. Eighty-six percent of the kills return, including the top four in kills last season. The only category that “suffered” a loss is blocks, as a mere 74 percent (and the squad’s top two blockers) are back for 2008.

Series History Against Arkansas
For South Carolina, the least-played conference opponent is Arkansas, for a good reason, too. The Razorbacks have taken 14 of the 22 matches all-time. All-time in Columbia, the Gamecocks are 4-5, including a 3-0 win last season.

Scouting the Razorbacks
Arkansas holds a 6-15 overall record and a 3-8 mark in league play entering the weekend. One advantage the Razorbacks hold over their foes is blocking, as they collect 1.92 per set as a team. Kelli Stipanovich leads the squad with 3.12 kills per set, followed closely by Christina Lawrence’s 3.07 average. Lawrence leads the team with a .302 hitting percentage. Yun Tang, who played well in the earlier meeting this season, has been Arkansas’ best blocker, sending back 1.15 balls per set. Phoebe Bautista has a 3.63 digs-per-frame average, best among the Razorbacks. Caira Dortch and Lindsay Scanlan do the setting, with Dortch leading the way at 8.75 assists per set.

Series History Against Ole Miss
The Carolina Gamecocks have met 30 times in history, with South Carolina holding a 20-10 mark in the series. The Rebels, however, have taken the last four meetings, including both matches in 2007 and a four-set win in Oxford earlier this season. At home, the Gamecocks are 10-2, with those 10 wins coming in a row from 1995-2006.

Scouting the Rebels
Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC West with a 6-5 league record, while the squad checks in at an even 10-10 on the season. The Rebels get their advantage in the service game, landing 1.25 aces per set. Regina Thomas leads the squad with 2.64 kills and 0.84 blocks per set along with her .344 hitting percentage. Katie Norris ranks second in kills at 2.56 per frame. Setter Rachel Kieckhaefer, who was the difference in the Gamecocks’ four-set loss to Mississippi earlier this season, dishes out 9.10 assists per frame to go with 1.45 kills and 2.25 digs per set. Allison Weber leads the squad with 4.05 digs per set.