Sept. 28, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Redshirt senior Belita Salters led the Gamecocks to a five-set victory over Arkansas, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-11, on Sunday afternoon in Barnhill Arena. South Carolina moves its record to 11-2 overall and 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference, while the Razorbacks fall to 4-9 and 1-2.
Junior outside hitter Ivana Kujundzic collected her second-straight double-double with 14 kills and 20 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Megan Laughlin added 13 kills, three aces and four blocks. Junior libero Sarah Cline led the Gamecocks with 21 digs, while senior Dinelia Concepcion had 14 digs. Junior Bridget Denson-Dorman just missed a double-double with 43 assists and nine digs, and sophomore Annie Thomas contributed nine kills. For Arkansas, Kelli Stipanovich led the team with 21 kills while also making 11 digs. Setter Caira Dortch had a double-double as well with 45 assists and 23 digs. Heather Royal also put together a good match with 13 kills and 14 digs. Libero Phoebe Bautista made a match-high 24 digs, while Christina Lawrence and Kristin Seaton added 12 and 10 digs, respectively. Lawrence had seven blocks to lead all players.
The Gamecocks fell behind early, 9-4, in the first set before a four-point run put them down one, 9-8, capped by a Cline ace. The Hogs got a three-point skein to push the lead back to 13-9, where South Carolina called its final timeout of the frame. The Arkansas advantage grew to 17-12 before the Gamecocks responded with a five-point string to knot up the match at 17-17. Junior Meredith Moorhead, sophomore Jordan Bradosky and Thomas all had kills in the run. Royal put the Razorbacks up by two with a kill and an ace, but her team would give the advantage right back, as a service and a blocking error tied up the contest again, 21-21. A Carolina blocking error briefly gave the Hogs the lead, but four-straight Gamecock points ended the frame at 25-22. Kujundzic had two kills in that last stretch, including a back-row attack that put the squad to set point. Both Laughlin and Kujundzic had four kills in the frame, while four Arkansas service errors helped the Gamecocks’ cause.
Both teams put together three-point runs to start the second, but the Razorbacks followed with a four-point string to force the Gamecocks to use a timeout at 7-3. That string went to six before a Laughlin kill stopped it at 9-4. Salters’ first kill closed the gap to 10-8. Consecutive blocks by Arkansas stretched its lead to 14-10, but two kills by Laughlin and an error by the Hogs got the Gamecocks back to within one at 14-13. Arkansas went back up by three at 18-15 before Salters made two-consecutive kills to make it a one-point match again and cause a Razorback timeout. A Royal kill followed by a South Carolina attack error pushed the Arkansas advantage to 20-17. Salters and Kujundzic made kills to bring Carolina back to within one. After a Seaton kill, Laughlin and Hannah Lawing tied up the set for the first time since 3-3 with kills to make it 22-22. The Razorbacks would get the final three points, however, to take the set, 25-22. Stipanovich got a back-row kill to close out the set. The Hogs had five blocks in the frame compared to none by the Gamecocks.
South Carolina came out and was hot early in the third set. Consecutive Gamecock blocks put the squad up 8-4, while a Kujundzic solo block capped the group’s third three-point run of the frame to make it 17-11. Arkansas had consecutive blocks to draw within three at 17-14, while a Royal back-row kill forced a Gamecock timeout at 19-17 in South Carolina’s favor. The Razorbacks tied up the match at 20-20 thanks to a block by Dortch and Seaton, but kills by Laughlin and Salters put the Gamecocks back up by two, 22-20. A pair of Arkansas hitting error followed a block by Salters and redshirt freshman Tory Anderson to give South Carolina the 25-21 set victory. The Garnet and Black hit .300 in the frame, while Salters led the team with five kills.
After falling behind, 9-7, the Gamecocks came back to take a 15-14 lead in the fourth set on a block by Moorhead and Laughlin. After the squads traded side outs, Arkansas got the lead back after two Stipanovich kills came around two Gamecock hitting errors made the score 19-16. A pair of aces by Laughlin put the Gamecocks back on top, 20-19. But three straight Razorback kills, including two by Lawrence, put the hosts back up by two at 22-20. Carolina tied it up at 22-22 after a Salters smash and an Arkansas error. The Hogs would get to set point first, however, thanks to a Gamecock hitting error. Royal ended the frame, 25-23, with her third kill of the set. Stipanovich had six kills to lead Arkansas, as the squad hit .265 in the frame.
Thomas, after a poor fourth set, led the Gamecocks to an early 5-1 lead in the fifth, making a kill and a solo block early. Salters made her second kill of the frame after the Arkansas timeout, and a Hog handling error pushed the South Carolina advantage to 7-1. The Razorbacks got five of the next six points to get within two at 8-6. A Salters spike ended the run, but Royal answered to keep it a two-point match. Kujundzic got a kill, while Arkansas made an attacking error to give the Gamecocks a four-point advantage. The squads traded side outs until a Stipanovich kill and a block by Lawrence and Seaton cut the South Carolina lead to 13-11. Salters got her 18th kill of the contest to push the Gamecocks to match point, and a Razorback hitting error gave South Carolina the 15-11 win.
South Carolina had the advantage in hitting percentage, kills, assists and aces, while Arkansas had more blocks and digs than the Gamecocks.
The Garnet and Black continue SEC road action next Friday, Oct. 3, in Starkville, Miss., as they face Mississippi State at 7 p.m. in the Newell-Grissom Building.
