Volleyball Offers Free Admission to Sunday Matinee vs. LSU
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Coming in with its first win streak of SEC play, South Carolina volleyball (10-13, 4-10 SEC) will host LSU (10-13, 5-8 SEC) at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12. The Gamecocks are coming off a three-set sweep at Mississippi State on Wednesday night. Sunday’s matchup will be a rematch of a three-set loss at LSU back on Oct. 29. Admission to both this Sunday’s match as well as the regular season finale against Tennessee on Nov. 25 will be free, the match with the Tigers is scheduled to air on the SEC Network+.
Volleyball vs LSU
MISSISSIPPI STATE (NOV. 8) MATCH NOTABLES
- Kiune Fletcher’s 26 total kills were the second-most in a three-set match in program history, behind only Shonda Cole’s record of 27 set against Georgia on Nov. 15, 2006. The last Gamecock to have 25 or more kills in a match of any length was – ironically – Fletcher’s cousin Mikayla Shields, who had 29 in a five-set win over Missouri exactly six years ago (Nov. 8, 2017).
- The 26 kills for Fletcher are the most in the NCAA for a three-set match this season. Only four SEC players have more than 26 kills this season in a match of ANY length.
- As a team, South Carolina racked up 57 kills in the three sets, the most for a sweep since Oct. 21, 2011 – also against Mississippi State. That total leads the SEC this season in three-set matches.
- Fresh off playing in her 100th career game on Sunday against Ole Miss, Whitesides missed the first game of her collegiate career. Only 22 other Gamecocks since 2001 have reached 100 career games played. The veteran attacker came into the match responsible for a quarter of the team’s total kills through 13 SEC matches.
- As the lone healthy setter on the roster, junior Claire Wilson played all six rotations for a full match for the first time since Oct. 29, 2021 in her freshman season. She did more than just hold her own, finishing with 45 assists, 10 digs, a block and six kills in just the three sets. The 45 assists are the fifth-highest total for a Gamecock in a three-set match since 2001.
- With a solo block in the third set, senior Ellie Ruprich tied Mikayla Robinson (2017-21) for most solo stuffs in a career, with 95.
- Wednesday night was the first time since Sept. 9, 2022 that the Gamecocks won in which they were out-blocked.
- Lauren McCutcheon had one her best nights of her career as a passer, leading the team with a career-high 15 digs in the three sets but also leading the team with 31 serve receptions and just one ace allowed.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
LSU has lost two of its last three matches since playing the Gamecocks on Oct. 29, most recently losing in straight sets at Florida on Friday night. The offense is led by SEC Freshman of the Year front-runner Jurnee Robinson, who averages 3.92 kills per set. The pin has shouldered quite the load, taking over 300 swings more than her next closest teammate, Jade Demps. Overall, LSU’s offense features four individuals with 120 or more kills, but it has been the defense that has decided its fate in most games. Entering the week, the Tigers rank last in the SEC in opponent hitting percentage allowed (.244) and are 11th out of 13 teams in blocks. On the flip side, LSU is one of the least-blocked teams in the conference and rank in the top 100 nationally for team hitting percentage.
In the first meeting between the two teams, the Tigers out-hit the Gamecocks .326 to .092 and finished with a 39-25 advantage in kills to win in three sets on their home court. South Carolina’s offense was led by Alayna Johnson, who hit .429 with seven kills.
Follow @GamecockVolley on Twitter/X and @GamecockVB on Instagram for continued updates on the team throughout the season.
