Volleyball Notches Fifth-Straight Sweep, Downs Ole Miss on the Road

OXFORD, MISS. – South Carolina volleyball’s late-season surge reached uncharted territory Sunday afternoon, as the Gamecocks (16-8, 8-4 SEC) swept Ole Miss (14-10, 6-8 SEC) for their fifth sweep in a row (25-21, 25-20, 25-18). It’s the team’s first five-game winning streak in conference play since 2002, and first time since joining the SEC 28 years ago that it has recorded five sweeps in a row.
 
SET ONE: The Gamecocks jumped out to a big early lead to start the match, and carried the advantage to a 25-21 win. Carolina doubled up the Rebels, 12-6, thanks to a pair of kills each from McKenzie Moorman and Mikayla Shields and three big blocks from its net defenders. Moorman finished with a team-high four kills, and Mikayla Robinson’s three total blocks held Ole Miss to just a .051 hitting percentage. 
 
SET TWO: Ole Miss came back strong to open the second game, but a big run from South Carolina at the mid-way mark proved to be key in a 25-20 final score. The Rebels built a 15-11 lead thanks to a successful start in the serve game, but the Gamecocks ran off the next nine points to flip the score. Seniors Claire Edwards and Shields led the surge, accounting for five kills and combination block in the run. Ole Miss was able to get back within two, 22-20, but kills from Mikayla Robinson and Jess Vastine would close out the game.
 
SET THREE: Hunting for the historic sweep, the offense went on a tear for South Carolina in the third. The Gamecocks out-hit Ole Miss, .533 to .200, and totaled 18 kills on the way to a 25-18 win that clinched the victory. Four different hitters totaled three or more kills for the Gamecocks, led by five kills from Robinson and four on just five swings from Vastine. Despite the red-hot offense, Ole Miss stuck around and sat just a point behind late, 19-18. Shields took over service and put any thoughts of a rally to rest, scoring out the final six points in a row thanks to a pair of kills and a block from Robinson and an ace from Shields.
 
NOTABLE

• This is the first time in the program’s SEC history (since 1991) that the Gamecocks won five-straight matches in straight sets. The team hadn’t even had a five-match SEC win streak in general since 2002.
• With a .301 hitting percentage as a team Sunday, the Gamecocks have hit over .300 in ten matches this season. That has not occurred since 2016.
• Mikayla Shields finished with 12 kills and 11 digs, giving her back-to-back double-doubles for the weekend. It’s the senior’s first time with consecutive double-doubles this season and third time overall in her career.
• Courtney Koehler also went for a double-double, the 21^st of her career and team-high fifth of the season. Her 42 assists are the most in a three-set match this season, and 11^th-most for a three-set match in the program’s rally-scoring era.
• Mikayla Robinson’s 12 kills give her double figures for the sixth time in SEC play this season and 10 overall for the year. She had eight all of last season.
• Ole Miss finished the match hitting .096, the third SEC rival who was held to under .100 this season and fifth opponent overall.

NEXT UP: The team has a split weekend coming up, starting at home on Friday, Nov. 15 against No. 18 Kentucky. First serve against the defending conference champions will be at 7 p.m. ET. Following that, Carolina heads to Columbia west for a Sunday afternoon match at Missouri.