Volleyball Team Getting Locked In for NCAA Tournament

South Carolina volleyball is back where it belongs – in the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks are making their fourth appearance in the postseason in the last seven years under head coach Tom Mendoza and have advanced past the first round in two of their previous trips in his tenure. As they prepare to face Dayton (29-2) in Thursday’s first round in Waco, Texas, the Gamecocks are not just happy to be there.

“The SEC continues to get harder every year, so to get the quality wins and put the whole body of work over the last three or four months, I’m really proud of them and excited,” said Mendoza. “It’s a one match season. We’re trying to prep ourselves as best as we can. Playing in the SEC, we get such good preparation for playing against good teams and playing against good players.”

A late season win over nationally ranked Florida to sweep the season series from the Gators helped propel the Gamecocks to the postseason, and the team was overjoyed to hear their name called on Sunday at the selection show.

“That was huge for us to get another top 25 win and to get us to 16 (wins),” Mendoza said. “I thought our body of work was strong enough. We were one of the last regionals announced, so it was getting a little tense, but fortunately it all worked out.”

“It was the best feeling ever,” said graduate outside hitter Riley Whitesides after seeing South Carolina pop up on the bracket. “It was really nerve-racking. We worked so hard this year. It’s a really good way to go out.”

“We’re going to go ball out!” said junior Alayna Johnson. “I think we are a tremendous team.”

While not all of the Gamecocks have played in the postseason before, those who have know what to expect and will help the team stay grounded, especially after a grueling SEC schedule.

“There is always a reason to feel uncomfortable, whether it is showing up for the Garnet and Black for the very first time with the lights on and the fans being there, the first match of the season, the first home match of the season, the first SEC match of the season, or senior night,” Mendoza said. “There is always something that can make you uncomfortable. Hopefully at this point, our players have learned to manage that, so they’ll stay focused. NCAA games do have a different feel. They feel sped up. Having that leadership is huge. Riley, (senior) Oby (Anadi), and (graduate student) Ellie (Ruprich) have all played in an NCAA game before. They’ve been great leaders for us all year, and (junior) Sarah (Jordan) as well. She transferred in and has played in the NCAA Tournament before (at Towson). We’ve got plenty of experience, and hopefully that will pay off for us.”

“It’s definitely amazing to say that you have been there before,” said Anadi. “It’s going to help in knowing the mentality, knowing how it feels with the nerves and stuff like that. So, I’m going to be able to talk to my teammates and say, hey I know how you’re feeling, and this is how we’re going to get through it. I know how it felt when we lost in the first round a few years ago, so I’m going to be looking to change those things so that we don’t have that same outcome. The SEC is one of the best conferences. Everybody is good in the SEC. That’s something that’s going to help us in the tournament. We’re used to a challenge.”

“SEC volleyball is a very competitive conference,” Johnson said. “It’s a lot of teams that are always good. You have to be on your ‘A-game’ every single point.”

“It’s obviously a big pressure environment,” said Whitesides, who earned First Team All-SEC honors this season. “We played such a hard schedule this year in the SEC, so we just remind ourselves that we have that confidence and skill to go in and get a good win. There are nine teams from the SEC in the tournament, which is really cool, and it prepares us for the tournament. We play at such a high level every game and there are no games off. We’re used to that pressure, and the high-performance environment.”

The veteran players certainly helped the Gamecocks get where they are, but Mendoza was quick to praise some of his younger players, including rookie libero Victoria Harris, who was named to the SEC All-Freshman team, for making an impact right away.

“I thought she deserved it,” Mendoza said. “One, coming off an (ACL) injury (in high school), but to come in as a freshman and start every single match at the libero position, it takes a special person to do that. She was a huge reason why we were successful.”

“Everything we’re doing this season is exactly what I worked for,” Harris said. “I try not to set expectations for what the future holds. I just try to take it day by day. This has definitely been a dream of mine ever since I started playing when I was six. To be able to do this with this team, these coaches, and these girls is absolutely amazing, and a dream come true. I’m thankful for my coaches for trusting me and allowing me to grow.”

Now that they’re back in the tournament, the team still has goals it wants to reach.

“There are still things that we haven’t done,” Mendoza said. “They want to check off that next thing and be that group that gets there.”

“The job is not done,” Harris said. “We’re taking it game by game, practice by practice, rep by rep. We know we can get the job done.”

“I feel like we’re capable of anything,” Anadi said. “The tournament is clean slate. Everything that happened before this point means nothing now. Everything that matters is when we get to step on the court again. I’m thankful for the opportunity to still be able to play volleyball. The sky is the limit!”