Sept. 12, 2005

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball (6-1) returns to action Tuesday night as the Gamecocks head Upstate to take on their intrastate rival Clemson Tigers (2-2). Match time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Jervey Gym. USC leads the series 32-19 and won the match last year in Columbia, 3-0. The Gamecocks’ last win at Clemson was a 3-1 victory in 2001.

The Gamecocks are coming off of a 2-1 weekend at the GlaxoSmithKline Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C. At the tournament, USC defeated Coastal Carolina 3-0 and UNC 3-1, but fell 3-0 to Purdue. The Tigers are coming off of back-to-back losses to SEC teams, Kentucky and Georgia.

Statistically, South Carolina has an edge over the Tigers. The Gamecocks have 369 kills to Clemson’s 199 and USC is hitting .267 to the Tigers’ .228. Defensively, The Tigers are averaging 17.15 digs per game to USC’s 14.04 per game, but South Carolina has 337 total digs to Clemson’s 223. In the blocks category, the Gamecocks have 83.5, averaging 3.48 per game, while Clemson has 36 total blocks with 2.77 per game.

Shonda Cole leads South Carolina in kills with 108, while Sarah Morgan leads in digs with 86, and Nicole Miller leads in total blocks with 31. Jeannette Abbott leads the Tigers in kills with 61, Anna Vallinch in digs with 78, and Danielle Hepburn in blocks with 14.

This match also marks the first Carolina-Clemson meeting of the Nancy Somera era. USC is 3-2 against Clemson under coaches during their first year. Judy Martino, Elaine Mozingo and Bonnie Kenny all posted victories against the Tigers during their first year at South Carolina. Terri Drake and Kim Hudson recorded losses.

The match can be followed live via Gametracker or Internet audio broadcast on uscsports.com.