May 10, 2002

Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina Volleyball team has concluded their 2002 Spring schedule as they participated in several tournaments and worked on fundamentals and technique. With six incoming seniors, their largest in school history, USC volleyball looks to return as a national contender in 2002.

Spring Schedule

The Gamecocks spring schedule opened on March 23 when they participated in a spring tournament at Duke. At the competition, USC played Duke, North Carolina, UNC-Charlotte and Wake Forest.

A week later on March 30, the Gamecocks then traveled to Florida and had a “play day” with Florida, playing several matches throughout the day.

USC wrapped up spring training by hosting a tournament on April 13. Michigan State, Florida and Duke all participated.

Of the teams that USC trained against this spring, Michigan State and Florida are on the Gamecocks 2002 schedule.

Q&A With Head Coach Kim Christopher

Coach Christopher took some time with uscsports.com to discuss her thoughts on the spring schedule and some insight into the 2002 fall season.

uscsports.com: Coach Christopher, what are your overall thoughts on the Gamecocks spring training?

KC: I was pleased with our on-the-court spring training. I feel we improved individually in our fundamentals. Each player in the spring has goals and specific areas they are focusing on, and I believe that each player has improved technically as well. As a team, we worked on improving our understanding of team blocking. I believe that we were much better blockers this spring then we were in the fall. We still need to improve defensively and work on the service line. With the scoring format changing to rally score from sideout scoring, the serve becomes even more critical.

uscsports.com: Looking ahead to fall, how do you ideally see the newcomers fitting into the program?

KC: I am very excited about our newcomers. Each one has strengths that will add to our program. The new personality and skill level will add depth to each position. This group will make practices very competitive and will help to raise the level of our play.

uscsports.com: How are Yajaira Cadet, Nadia Sefferovich and Cally Plummer recovering from their surgeries?

KC: I am pleased with the progress of Nadia and Yajaira. Both have shown a true committment to coming off the injury stronger than ever. It has been inspirational for our team to see these two committ to the rehab. Cally’s surgery on her right shoulder is actually a very good thing for her. She was unsure of how she would make it through the season with an unstable shoulder.With it being her nonhitting arm, Dr DaSilva is confident she will return with no problems. Cally has a tremendous attitude, and a work ethic to match.

uscsports.com: Looking at some of the teams you played against during the spring, how do you feel the competition will be for the upcoming season?

KC: The competition will be tough this year. I feel the conference will be better than ever. Each SEC team is returning a good portion of their starters.

uscsports.com: How will the addition of assistant Jason Hou affect the dynamics of the program?

KC: Jason has had many successful experiences as an athlete and as a coach. We are extremely fortunate to have him here. His demeanor and coaching style work well for our staff and our program.

uscsports.com: With a pretty large senior class, do you feel their spring performances showed signs of what to expect in the fall regarding leadership and experience?

KC: I have been coaching long enough to know that good springs don’t necessarily mean good falls, and bad springs don’t mean bad fall seasons. As a coach, you want your team to perform every day to the best of its ability. The senior class is the largest in numbers that we have had to graduate. I believe our season will be determined by their ability to lead and compete everyday. Seniors often times have to deal with other pressures in their life that can cause distractions. It will take a true committment on the seniors part to bring it everyday.