Gamecocks Drop Second SEC Road Match of the Week
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The South Carolina volleyball team (6-5) fell to No. 22 Tennessee (11-1) in its second SEC road match of the week on Friday night, losing 3-0. The Gamecocks finished just four kills behind the Volunteers, but 30 errors — including six service errors in the opening set — proved costly.
1st SET: The Gamecocks battled through a back-and-forth opener, overcoming an early 10-6 deficit with an 8-1 run capped by an Alayna Johnson kill to take a 16-13 lead. Tennessee regained momentum late, but Carolina continued to push, tying the score multiple times before briefly pulling ahead 21-20. A reversed call on a challenge from the Volunteers shifted the advantage back to Tennessee, who edged out the set 25-23. Johnson, Emily Beeker, and Nia Hall each recorded five kills in the frame, with Hall hitting .400.
2nd SET: Tennessee carried the momentum into the second, using a 5-0 run to go up 11-5 and force a Gamecock timeout. South Carolina worked to close the gap with kills from Victoria Hill and Ava Leahy, but the Volunteers remained in control throughout. Despite late points from Hall and a Tennessee error that prolonged the set, the Vols finished it off 25-16 to take a 2-0 match lead.
3rd SET: Laiya Ebo and Kaia Pixler entered the match for the first time in the final set and made immediate impact, with Pixler setting up Ebo for multiple early kills to keep things close. Johnson added the Gamecocks’ second ace of the night, and the teams traded points through long rallies before a 5-0 Tennessee run gave the Vols a 15-11 edge. Ebo’s third kill and a Beeker block pulled the Gamecocks back within two, but Tennessee stretched the lead again and closed the match with a 25-17 win.
Notables
- This was Alayna Johnson’s seventh match of the season with double digit kills as she led the offense with 10 and hit .320
- Victoria Hill showed her depth by backing the defense in tonight’s match, dishing out 10 digs
- Two Gamecocks hit double digit digs, Hill with 10 and Victoria Harris with 12
- Sarah Jordan led the team with 21 assists. The senior has been in the double digits of that statistic for all matches this season
- Laiya Ebo had a season high three kills while Kaia Pixler had a season high four assists
Up Next: The Gamecocks return to Columbia next week for their SEC home opener, hosting Texas A&M for a Black Out match on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 7:00 p.m.
