Nov. 15, 2002
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 18th-ranked South Carolina Gamecock (20-5, 13-2 SEC) volleyball team suffered their second SEC loss of the season as they fell to the No. 4 Florida Gators (25-1, 15-0 SEC) for the second time this season. The Gators held Carolina to a .051 hitting percentage in the 3-0 sweep. Losing 30-15, 30-27, 30-23, the Gamecocks were led by Niece Curry with 10 kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
“We made a couple of bad decisions in game two and that was the turning point. I think if things had gone our way a little, the match would have been a little more competitive then what it was,” said head coach Kim Christopher. “Florida is a great team and they deserve their high ranking.”
The Gamecocks were held to their lowest single game point total of the season as the Gators took game one 30-15. South Carolina was held to just eight kills and hit a paltry .029. Florida was led by Aury Cruz with six kills in the game, while Nicole McCray hit .800 for the game.
Game two was a closer battle for the Gamecocks despite falling 30-27. The Gators got off to a 6-0 start but Carolina continued to fight to stay in the game. Down 24-27, Cally Plummer served the first ace of the match for the Gamecocks to pull within two. Sarah Morgan and Berna Dwyer followed with a block assist and Plummer served another ace to tie the game 27-27. But Florida’s Cruz connected on a kill to give the Gators the lead again and the eventual win.
South Carolina gained their first lead of the match in game three but it wasn’t enough to fend off the Gators. Despite Florida winning the first two points of the game, South Carolina rallied back to take an 8-5 lead. However, the Gamecocks were unable to stop the Gator rally after Florida took the lead after a 14-14 tie. Niece Curry led the way for the Gamecocks with 6 kills in game three.
The Gamecocks close out the 2002 regular season and travel to Athens, Ga. to take on the Bulldogs at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
