Oct. 17, 2002

Columbia, S.C. –
The 24th-ranked South Carolina (14-3, 7-0 SEC) volleyball team returns to the road this weekend as the Gamecocks travel to face Alabama (13-7, 4-2 SEC) on Friday at 7 p.m. (CT) in Tuscaloosa and Auburn (1-17, 0-6 SEC) on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. (CT) in Auburn. The Gamecocks hope to add on to their eight-match win streak. USC leads the series against the Tigers 9-6, while the series against the Crimson Tide is tied 10-10.

The Gamecocks already swept both teams earlier in the season in Columbia. Carolina has won the last seven 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. The Gamecocks are just two wins away from tying the program’s best start in conference play of nine consecutive victories.

The Gamecocks are coming off of a 2-0 weekend after sweeping Kentucky in Lexington last Wednesday and escaped a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Tennessee Lady Vols on Sunday. Alabama is coming off of a 1-1 week as they beat LSU 3-0 but fell to Arkansas 3-1. The Tigers are still looking for their first conference win as they swept by LSU and Arkansas last week.