Volleyball Finalizes 2024 Schedule
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball announced its 2024 fall schedule on Thursday, featuring seven non-conference matches at home and a new-look Southeastern Conference schedule that pits the Gamecocks against newcomers Oklahoma at home and defending national champion Texas on the road.
The team’s annual Garnet and Black Scrimmage will be on Saturday, Aug. 17 at 5 p.m. with a home exhibition against Coastal Carolina set for the following Saturday, Aug. 24 at 6:30 p.m. The regular season opens on the road, with three games over three days hosted by Duke. The Gamecocks start the tournament on Aug. 30 against 2023 NCAA tournament participant Kansas, which held a 24-6 overall record and won its first-round match last postseason. On day two is Colgate, the defending Patriot League champions and winners of 22 games a year ago. The weekend wraps up on Sept. 1 against the host Blue Devils, who finished with a 19-10 mark last fall.
The bulk of the team’s pre-conference schedule will come in the friendly confines of the Carolina Volleyball Center, starting Sept. 6-8 when the Gamecocks host Temple and North Carolina. The weekend opener against the Owls will be the fourth meeting between the two programs, first since 2012. South Carolina hosts the Tar Heels on Sunday, Sept. 8 in a return game from 2022’s meeting in Chapel Hill.
After a one-off midweek match at home against College of Charleston on Sept. 10, the Gamecocks will host a four-team tournament the following weekend. The team plays a Friday doubleheader on Sept. 13, facing Stetson at 1:30 p.m. with a 7:30 nightcap against FIU. After a day off, the weekend closes with a 2 p.m. match against Wake Forest on Sunday, Sept. 15. South Carolina has not faced Stetson since 1986 and will play FIU for the first time since 2013. The Wake Forest game is also a 2022 return game, the Deacons won on their home court two seasons ago. The non-conference season wraps up with a pair of one-off games, hosting East Carolina on Sept. 17 at 6:30 and ending with the next chapter of the Clemson rivalry on Sept. 20 in the Tigers’ home gym. South Carolina is 7-1 in the series dating back to 2015.
Conference play begins at home on Sept. 27, with a home match against Mississippi State that precedes a challenging three-game road swing that starts on Wednesday, Oct. 2 with a trip to Austin for Texas’ first-ever home SEC match. After an early bye weekend, the Gamecocks then go to Georgia on Oct. 11 and Florida on the 13th. Other SEC home games include Ole Miss (Oct. 18), the team’s first meeting ever with new SEC foe Oklahoma (Oct. 20), Auburn (Oct. 27, Senior Night), Kentucky (Nov. 1, Alumnae Night), Tennessee (Nov. 3), Florida (Nov. 27) and Texas A&M (Nov. 30) will be the regular season finale.
Entering its seventh season under head coach Tom Mendoza, South Carolina returns seven veterans who played in 20 or more matches last season, aided by a recruiting class of two freshmen and two transfers.
Full ticket information for the season will be announced at a later date, for updates on the team heading into preseason practice in August, follow @Gamecockvolley on Twitter and Instagram.
