Sept. 26, 2002

Columbia, SC – South Carolina (8-3, 1-0) volleyball continues it homestand this weekend as the Gamecocks host Auburn (1-11, 0-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. and Alabama (9-5, 0-0) on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The Gamecocks hope to extend their perfect 6-0 home record. USC leads the series against the Tigers 8-6, while the Crimson Tide lead 10-9.

“We are glad to be home again this week. We really enjoy the rivalry between Auburn and Alabama,” said head coach Kim Christopher. “It is important this weekend for us to focus on playing sharp and continue to get better each match.”

Carolina has won the last six meetings against the Tigers and the last time AU beat USC was in 1995. USC fell 3-0 to the Tigers in Auburn. The last time Carolina fell to Alabama was in 1999 when the Tide won 3-1 in Tuscaloosa. Under head coach Kim Christopher, the Gamecocks are 7-2 against Auburn and have only lost once in Columbia. Since 1991, Auburn is 3-4 in the Midlands while Alabama is 2-5.

The Gamecocks are coming off of a 2-0 weekend after defeating SEC opponent Kentucky and non-conference opponent Oral Roberts. Auburn went 0-3 at the New Mexico Tournament falling to Temple, SMU and New Mexico, while Alabama went 2-1 at the Georgia Tech Invitational. The Tide posted wins over Cornell and Florida International but lost to the Yellow Jackets.

Friday night is “Business Card Night”. All fans that show their business card get into the match for $1. On Sunday, all fans that bring their church bulletin to the pass gate, get in for $1. Sunday is also Youth League Day.