Sept. 1, 2005
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Head Coach Nancy Somera will make her South Carolina debut Friday when the Gamecock volleyball team opens the 2005 season against Pittsburgh. The Gamecocks are playing Pitt at the Florida State Tournament, Sept. 2-3 at 10 a.m., followed by a nightcap match against Florida State at 7:30 p.m. The USC vs. FSU match will be broadcast live via the Internet and can be accessed through uscsports.com.
Coach Somera and the Gamecocks are ready to actually face competition and see how the team responds in game situations.
“It will be a good opening weekend. The level of competition at this tournament will allow us to see what we can do and what we need to improve on,” said Somera. “We need to see how we are in game moments and under game pressure. I think we are ready to play actual teams now. Whatever the outcome, I think we will be able to learn a lot this weekend.”
This will be the first weekend of competition for the Gamecocks and FSU while Pitt enters the tournament 2-1 and Mercer is 1-0. The Gamecocks are looking to snap a four-match losing streak dating back to November of 2004. South Carolina’s last win came against Arkansas on Nov. 7. That win snapped a five-match losing streak.
USC returns to the lineup starters Shonda Cole, Sarah Morgan, Lauren Ford, Nicole Miller, Iris Santos and Lynae Vanden Hull. Cole was named second-team All-SEC last year while Ford earned conference player of the week honors.
“I think we will go into this weekend with a couple of different lineups. We have had to juggle with some lineups this fall due to some minor setbacks throughout training, said Somera. “I feel that one of our strengths right now is our flexibility in that players we have players that can fill in at different spots if needed.”
The Gamecocks are also looking to claim their first season opener win since 2002. Since 1978, only one USC coach has lost their debut match. Terry Drake lost to Clemson in 1981.
Against the teams in the tournament, USC is 0-2 vs. Pitt, 5-15 against Florida State and 3-0 against Mercer. This marks the first meeting against Pitt since 1980, and the first against Mercer since 1993. FSU is the most recent team the Gamecocks have played. USC won that match 3-0 in 1999.
Following the FSU Tournament, the Gamecocks will play their home opener Tuesday, Sept. 6 against Charlotte. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the Volleyball Competition Facility.
