Aug. 30, 2007

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s volleyball team is set for its second tournament of the season playing in the Third Degree Sportswear Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Richmond, Va. In addition to the Gamecocks and host Virginia Commonwealth, the event includes Maryland and George Washington.

South Carolina and VCU square off at 7 p.m. Friday, and the Gamecocks conclude play Saturday against Maryland at 11:30 a.m. and George Washington at 4:30 p.m. Carolina and the VCU Rams will be meeting for the first time in the programs’ histories, while the Gamecocks are 2-4 all-time versus the Terrapins of Maryland and 4-2 against the GW Colonials.

The Gamecocks are coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Delaware/Asics Invitational in Newark, Del. South Carolina posted 3-0 wins in its first two matches of the season against Binghamton and Boston College before suffering a 3-0 setback against Delaware in the championship match.

A pair of Gamecocks made the Delaware/Asics Invitational All-Tournament Team in freshmen Dani Bedore and Megan Laughlin. Bedore averaged three kills per game over the course of the event and hit at a .397 (27-4-58) clip. Laughlin also posted three kills per game with a .333 (27-6-63) hitting percentage while leading the team in blocks with 1.56 per game.

Maryland snagged two victories in its opening weekend of play in Cincinnati, beating Oakland and Southern Miss before losing to the UC Bearcats in four games. GW sports a 1-2 mark with losses to American and George Mason and a win versus Georgetown. VCU is 0-2 after playing Virginia Tech and Marshall.

Following the Third Degree Sportswear Invitational, South Carolina will host the Nike Gamecock Invitational over Sept. 7-8. Teams in the tournament include Appalachian State, Rice and Troy.