Sept. 28, 2007
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Gamecocks once again put up a valiant effort after falling down 2-0, but Alabama proved to be too much, as the Crimson Tide, led by seniors Crystal Hudson and Bridget Fuentez, take a 3-1 win over South Carolina on Friday night in the CAVE. The Tide improve to 8-6 on the campaign but a perfect 5-0 in Southeastern Conference play, while the Gamecocks fall to 7-7, 0-5 in league action.
Sophomore Ivana Kujundzic led the Gamecocks with her third double-double of the year, recording 13 kills and 12 digs, both team highs. Junior Belita Salters tied Kujundzic with 13 kills, while sophomore Meredith Moorhead knocked down 12 kills with a team-leading .458 hitting percentage. Freshman Megan Laughlin also had 10 kills in the contest, while freshman Hannah Lawing tied Kujundzic for top honors with 12 digs. Junior Dinelia Concepcion added 10 digs.
The Crimson Tide got a double-double from Bridget Fuentez, who had 13 kills and 14 digs. Crystal Hudson led all attackers with her 18 kills, while Brooks Webster contributed 13. Libero Amy Pauly recorded a match-high 23 digs, leading four Alabama players that were in double digits in digs.
Alabama ran away with the first game behind five runs of three points or more. The first of those gave the Tide a 7-4 lead before freshman Dani Bedore ended the run with her first kill of the match. However, the Crimson and White peeled off three more points before Laughlin stopped it with her initial kill of the contest. Salter’s third kill of the contest brought the Gamecocks within three at 10-7, but that would be as close as they got. Four straight Alabama points put the match out of reach at 14-7. The end came when UA freshman Mary Catherine Aune stepped back to serve at 25-15 and continued serving until the game ended at 30-15. The Texas state high school service ace record-holder recorded one during the stretch, while the Gamecocks had trouble handling her serves. Alabama hit .469 in the game, compared to .278 for South Carolina.
Carolina took an early 9-7 lead in game two behind three kills from Moorhead. But the Crimson Tide responded with four consecutive points, forcing the Gamecocks to call timeout at 11-7. Kujundzic put a stop to the run with her kill, but the Tide would respond with 10 of the next 14 points to surge ahead, 21-14. At 25-18, the Garnet and Black fought back with a kill and an ace from Laughlin sandwiched around a Bedore kill to get within four. The Tide responded with two more points before the teams swapped side outs. With their backs to the wall, the Gamecocks did not go quietly. After a Bama hitting error, USC put up another pair of points, first a block from Lawing and Moorhead, followed by a Moorhead kill to bring the team within three. But a Tide kill ended the run, and the teams swapped side outs to end the frame, 30-26.
In game three, Carolina came back from a 4-1 deficit to take a 5-4 lead behind a kill and ace from Laughlin and another kill from Kujundzic. The Gamecocks went on another four-point run after going down, 7-6. A kill from Kujundzic started the stretch that included a spike from Salters and a block assist from Salters and Moorhead that put the Garnet lead at 10-7. Later, the Gamecocks pushed the lead to 17-13 to force the Tide to call a timeout. Alabama got within one on two occasions before back-to-back errors gave South Carolina a 23-20 lead. The final seven Gamecock points came from Salters and Moorhead, with both getting three kills while combining for a block to give South Carolina the game, 30-24.
Game four saw the teams go back and forth until a pair of Laughin kills came around a Lawing ace to put the Garnet on top, 13-9. Alabama would string together two kills in a row twice to make it a two-point contest before the teams swapped side outs until 19-18. The Tide captured the momentum there with an ace from Pauly, which Alabama turned into a six-point streak. The Crimson Tide ended the game and match on another six-point stretch, with Hudson putting the punctuation mark on the comeback with a spike to end the match, 30-21.
Alabama hit .292 in the match, compared to .254 for the Gamecocks. The Tide also had the advantage in assists, aces, kills and digs.
The Gamecocks travel to Starkville for a Sunday matinee against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State University. Match time is set for 1:30 p.m. CDT in the Newell-Grissom Building.
