Gamecock Volleyball Finalizes Spring SEC Schedule

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Southeastern Conference announced the spring volleyball schedule for the 2020-21 season on Monday afternoon. South Carolina (5-3) closed the fall ranked 13^th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s top-15 national poll and will resume play at the end of January.
 
After completing an eight-game fall schedule in the fall, each school will now face the eight remaining conference opponents, twice in the same week on back-to-back days. The schedule includes a week at the end of the season for any makeup matches.
 
South Carolina begins the season with a road series at Alabama on January 29-30. The team has home series against Mississippi State (Feb. 4-5), Texas A&M (Feb. 10-11), Missouri (Feb. 26-27) and Ole Miss (March 6-7). Along with its road trip to Tuscaloosa, the Gamecocks also travel to Kentucky (Feb. 20-21), LSU (March 13-14) and Arkansas (March 19-20).
 
The NCAA tournament selection show will be held on Sunday, April 4, with matches beginning the following week. This season there will be a 48-team bracket; 32 of the teams will be automatic qualifiers, with 16 at-large selections.
 
Despite featuring a lineup that included five new starters, South Carolina won road matches at Georgia and Tennessee and went 3-1 at home in the fall. That was highlighted by an upset of No. 4 Florida on Nov. 12, the team’s first win over the Gators since 2006 and the highest-ranked opponent ever beaten by the Gamecocks.
 
South Carolina native Riley Whitesides provided immediate impact to the team, as the freshman pin ended the fall schedule as the team’s leader in kills. Fellow freshman Ellie Ruprich had 44 total blocks in eight fall matches, and her 1.57 blocks per set average ranked third nationally and led the SEC. Both newcomers earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors in the fall.
 
Kyla Manning joined the team as a transfer in the summer and made an instant impact. She finished second on the team in kills (3.03 per set), third in digs and did not commit a single error over 136 serve receptions. Also shining in the fall was two-time All-SEC honoree Mikayla Robinson. The senior is at a career-high pace on offense, averaging just under three kills per set with a hitting percentage of .335, and is already in the program’s top-10 for career kills and points scored.
 
Television information and start times will be announced at a later date.