Nov. 9, 2003
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Shonda Cole notched 17 kills but four Tennessee players were in double digit kills and two recorded double-doubles as the Lady Vols topped South Carolina 3-1 in Southeastern Conference volleyball action Sunday. The Gamecocks (12-14, 6-8 SEC) hit .220 while Tennessee (18-8, 8-6 SEC) only hit .188 but had two more kills than Carolina on the match. Game scores were 26-30, 28-30, 30-22, and 26-30.
“We are a good team at times in our matches but we need to put it together all at once,” said Carolina Head Coach Kim Hudson Christopher. “Today was not one of those matches. Shonda Cole showed a lot of maturity today. She has made the transition from a great high school player to a good college player.”
Cole posted four kills to lead Carolina in game one but the Lady Vols’ Amy Morris had six kills to pace UT. Carolina out hit Tennessee .227 to .209 in the game but committed four service errors with only two service aces while UT had two aces and only one service error in the game.
UT jumped out to a quick lead in game two, leading as much as 18-9 at one point, but the Gamecocks fought back to tie the match at 24 as USC was on a 7-2 run at one point. The teams traded points until a Mariana Branquinho attack error and Whitney Gifford kill put Tennessee on top 30-28 for the game two win and 2-0 lead in the match.
Carolina took an early 15-9 lead in game three and cruised on to a 30-22 victory as the Garnet and Black out hit UT .235 to .143. Cole paced the Gamecocks with five kills while USC served up three aces and zero errors. UT’s serving game struggled in game three, serving up only one ace and four errors. The game three victory pulled Carolina within one game of tying the match.
Game four was close the entire way through as there were five lead changes and 11 ties in the game. Carolina had a 20-14 lead at one point, but Tennessee fought back to tie the match. The Lady Vols, only hitting .116 in the fourth game, turned their serving game around, notching five service aces and only one error as they took the 30-26 game four win and 3-1 match victory, scoring their first road conference win of the season.
USC will host No. 3 Florida and Georgia next weekend as they wrap up conference play. Carolina takes on the No. 3 Gators at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14 then faces the Bulldogs on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m. Carolina will then host the SEC Volleyball Tournament Nov. 21-23 at the Volleyball Competition Facility in Columbia.
-USC-
