Oct. 16, 2003
Columbia, S.C. – Carolina volleyball (10-8, 4-2 SEC) continues SEC action this weekend as they host the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks (14-4, 7-0 SEC) and the LSU Tigers (8-11, 3-4 SEC). The Gamecocks will take on the Lady ‘Backs Friday night at 7 p.m. to kickoff the countdown to “Midnight Madness”, and then face the Tigers on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Fans are invited to attend the volleyball match scheduled before Carolina’s Basketball’s “Midnight Madness”.
After suffering a 3-0 loss to Arkansas back in September, Carolina hopes to even the season series this time around. The Garnet and Black swept LSU 3-0 also back in September and USC hopes to record its first series sweep of the season. For the series history, Arkansas leads USC 9-5 but in Columbia, the Gamecocks lead 3-2. In the LSU series, Carolina leads 11-6 and has won the last nine matches.
USC is led by redshirt freshman Lynae Vanden Hull with 210 kills and is averaging 3.13 kills per game. Vanden Hull also leads the team in service aces with 27. Freshman setter Katelyn Panzau continues to hold the Gamecocks together as she has 685 assists on the season and averages 10.87 per game. In SEC matches, the Belleville, Ill. native has 148 assists and is averaging 9.87 assists per game, ranking her among the top ten in the conference so far this season.
Arkansas leads the SEC West and is one of two teams undefeated in the conference. The Lady ‘Backs have won their last nine matches and have a 13-1 record since Sept. 5. Sara Kincaid leads the way for Arkansas as she boasts 323 kills for the season and is averaging 4.49 kills per game, ranking her fourth in the conference in overall matches and second in SEC matches.
The Tigers just snapped a two-match losing streak as they defeated Mississippi State 3-0 last weekend in Starkville, Miss. LSU has only won back-to-back conference matches once this season and that was when they defeated Kentucky 3-2 on Sept. 28 and Auburn 3-2 on Oct. 3. Regan Hood leads LSU with 326 kills and a 4.59 kills per/game average. Hood also leads the team in blocks with 71 total.
Promotions for the matches this weekend include “Can the Razorbacks” night and LSU Football Ticket Stub Day. Any fan that donates a canned food item for the Harvest Hope Food Drive on Friday night will get in for $1 admission. On Sunday, fans who show their USC vs. LSU football ticket stub from Saturday night also get in for $1 admission.
