Gamecocks Continue SEC Play at Home with Auburn, No. 25 Florida

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina volleyball team (8-12, 2-8 SEC) begins its four-match home stand this week, starting with Auburn (15-6, 6-4 SEC) on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 7:00 p.m. before rounding out the week against its fifth ranked opponent of the season, No. 25 Florida (12-7, 7-3 SEC), on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 1:00 p.m.

Both games will be streamed on SEC Network+ with live scoring available on StatBroadcast. Links to each can be found on the volleyball schedule page. Fans can also follow along through in-game updates on X @GamecockVolley.

PROMOTIONS

Wednesday night’s match against Auburn will be costume night, and fans are encouraged to come dressed in their Halloween costume (masks and props are prohibited). The first 150 fans in attendance will receive a Halloween-themed Gamecock volleyball shirt. Sunday’s match against Florida will serve as the annual alumni game, with former players honored on the court. Fans can also pick up a special themed button as the giveaway.

WEEK NINE NOTABLES

• The Gamecocks split their results on the road last week, falling 3-1 to Missouri before picking up their second SEC win of the season against Vanderbilt in a 3-1 showing
• South Carolina utilized its depth in both matches as three players had double digit kills and two or more players had double digit assists and digs against both opponents

Against Missouri

• It was a close match between South Carolina and Missouri as three of the sets were separated by only two points
• The Gamecocks outperformed the Tigers in several key categories, leading in kills, points, aces, assists, and digs.
• Several different Gamecocks set personal records; Alayna Johnson with 19 kills, Emily Beeker with 11 kills, Victoria Harris with 27 digs and Victoria Hill with 14 digs

Against Vanderbilt

• The Gamecocks hit .275, their highest hitting percentage in conference play this season
• For the eighth match of the season the Garnet & Black had double digit blocks, tallying 10
• Three players hit better than .300 with six or more kills
• Beeker reached her career high in kills again, tallying 12

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

Auburn enters Wednesdays match on a two-game win streak following victories over Arkansas and Oklahoma. The Tigers success stems from their defense as they rank fourth nationally and first in the SEC for blocks per set (3.00). Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Dreves leads their offense with 288 kills (3.94 per set) on the season. Senior libero Alexis Dacosta has tallied 301 digs so far on the season, averaging 4.12 per set. Sophomore middle blocker Kate Mansfield is another threat on the defensive side, leading the conference and ranking fifth nationally with 1.62 blocks per set. The Gamecocks lead the series 31-21 against the Tigers and have won eight of the last ten matchups.

SCOUTING THE GATORS

Florida is also on a two-game win streak, coming off of victories over Arkansas and Oklahoma. The Gators’ season includes ranked wins over then-No. 17 Tennessee, then-No. 25 Missouri, and then-No. 20 Baylor, along with a narrow five-set loss to No. 3 Kentucky. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Byrd contributes to the Gators total kills being ranked second in the SEC (1,037) with 298 of her own on the season thus far. Florida also ranks second in the SEC for total digs (1,103), led by freshman Lily Hayes (288 digs). The teams strong offensive play is backed by redshirt-junior setter Alexis Stuckey, who ranks fifth in the SEC in assists per set with 9.71. The Gators lead the all-time series 64-11, but the Gamecocks found success last season, earning two wins over Florida—both when the Gators were ranked inside the top 20.