Sept. 21, 2013
| Highlights |
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina senior outside hitter Juliette Thévenin recorded 26 kills to lead South Carolina to a 3-1 victory over Robert Morris on Saturday afternoon by the scores of 26-24, 20-25, 25-10 and 25-16 at the Volleyball Competition Facility.
Thévenin hit a career-best .571 on 42 attempts to help South Carolina improve to 7-4 on the season. Robert Morris drops to 0-12 on the season with the loss.
As a team the Gamecocks out-hit the Colonials .358-.180, finishing with 58 kills to Robert Morris’ 46. South Carolina also had a stellar afternoon defensively, holding a 13-2 advantage in blocks and finishing with 51 digs.
Freshman middle Jacqy Angermiller added eight kills and six blocks for the Gamecocks, while freshman outside hitter Dessaa Legros hit .429 to tally seven kills. Sophomore Darian Dozier finished with six kills and a match-high seven block assists, while sophomore setter Kellie McNeil distributed 46 assists and added three kills and four blocks. Junior libero Michaela Christiaansen collected a match-high 19 digs, and Thévenin came up one dig shy of a double-double with nine for the match.
Freshman outside hitter Arden Fisher paced Robert Morris with 18 kills and had 14 digs, while junior outside hitter Erica Robb recorded 10 kills. Junior setter Hannah Hoffman dished out 37 assists.
The first set went back and forth, as the teams played through 11 ties and four lead changes. With the score tied at 24-24 late in the set, McNeil set Angermiller up for a kill to give the Gamecocks a 25-24 lead. A Robert Morris attack error during the next rally gave South Carolina a 26-24 win.
Robert Morris came out strong in the second set on its way to building an 18-7 lead. However, the Gamecocks refused to go down without a fight as they clawed their way back into it and pulled to within 22-18 on a kill by Thévenin. But that was as close as the Gamecocks were able to get, as the Colonials closed out the set to win 25-20.
South Carolina regained momentum as it cruised to a 25-10 win in the third set as it hit .500 as a team. Thévenin led the way with nine kills, while sophomore Sarah Blomgren added two block assists.
The Gamecocks held a 12-11 lead midway through the fourth set, and a kill by Dozier off an overpass sparked a 7-2 run that gave South Carolina a 19-13 lead. Robert Morris was unable to recoup from the run, as the Gamecocks went on to win the set 25-16 to win the match 3-1.
South Carolina will close out the Carolina Classic tonight as it returns to action at 7 against Presbyterian at the Volleyball Competition Facility.
