Sept. 2, 2004

COLUMBIA, S.C. –
South Carolina volleyball gets under way this weekend when the Gamecocks travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. and play in the Wake Forest Invitational. USC will open against Wake Forest on Fri., Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. This marks the first match for both teams this season. South Carolina will conclude tournament play on Saturday when they face Connecticut and Marshall.

Head coach Kim Hudson and her staff is excited to finally start the season and put the preseason practice time to use.

“The players are ready to compete and seem a little tired of practice,” said Hudson. “I am excited about opening up this weekend, but I also wouldn’t mind another week of practice.”

USC looks to bounce back from a 12-18 record from last year. The Gamecocks return eight players from last season’s young squad and have no seniors on the roster. Despite the off year, the Gamecocks still expect to be a competitive team that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“We still have many things to work on but I will be saying that in November,” said Hudson. “This weekend will be about keeping the unforced errors to a minimum and out working our opponent.”

Leading the way for the Gamecocks is SEC Co-Freshman of the Year Lynae Vanden Hull, junior captain Sarah Morgan and sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Shonda Cole, also a North Carolina native.

This marks only the third meeting between USC and the Deacons and the Gamecocks post a 2-0 lead in the series. Saturday will mark the first meeting both Connecticut and Marshall for the Gamecocks. Marshall has already opened their season and enters the tournament with a 3-0 win over Radford.

On Saturday, the USC vs. Connecticut match is scheduled for 11 a.m. and the Marshall match is scheduled for 5 p.m.