Oct. 8, 2004
Oxford, Miss. – Head coach Kim Hudson extends her win streak against Ole Miss as the Gamecocks picked up their second SEC win of the season and defeated the Rebels 3-1. Game scores were 30-26, 30-27, 33-31, 30-21 as USC improved to 9-5 and 2-3 in the SEC. The Rebels fell to 8-8 and 1-4 in the SEC. Lauren Ford led the defense with a career high 10 block assists and three block solos. USC also recorded a team season high 21 blocks while Ole Miss had seven.
“Our blocking was what won the match for us tonight. Lauren Ford did an excellent job tonight,” said head coach Kim Hudson. “We still need to work on our unforced errors. I feel we still had too many of those tonight. We played together as a team tonight and that was our goal.”
Carolina got off to a slow start in game one before tying it 7-7 on a service ace by Cole. From there, USC recorded back-to-back blocks to establish the lead and never looked back. The closest Ole Miss came was within one when Ashleigh Shear recorded a service ace to make the score 12-11. USC continued on with a 6-0 run and maintained a lead by at least three points throughout the rest of the game. The Gamecocks outblocked the Rebels 6-0 and hit .171 to .114 in their 30-26 win.
In game two, Cole recorded six kills to post her 200th kill of the season. The sophomore outside hitter now has 487 kills for her career. Cole also recorded her 12th double-figure kill match of the season.
The Gamecocks came out and hit .333 while the Rebels hit .229. USC was up 28-24 before Ole Miss cut the Gamecock lead to two. Lynae Vanden Hull then recorded a kill to put USC up by three and one away from match point but a kill by Katie Kramer put the Rebels back to within two, 29-27. Iris Santos was able to clinch the game win for the Gamecocks with a kill as USC took a 2-0 lead into the break.
Game three was the nail biter of the match as the Gamecocks appeared to be on their way to clinch the win with a 28-25 lead. Carolina was just two points from match point before the Rebels’ Cory Tidwell recorded a kill to come within two. After an attack error by the Gamecocks, setter Katelyn Panzau then connected on a kill to put USC within match point but a kill by Nikki Hill kept the Rebels in the game. Another attack error by USC then tied the game 29-29 before the Gamecocks called timeout. From there, USC would go up 30-29 on a kill by Vanden Hull but Tricia Eble then tied it once again 30-30. Cole put the Gamecocks ahead for what would be the last time in the game because a kill by Kramer and a service ace by Eble pulled Ole Miss ahead and took game three 33-31.
The Gamecocks came out in game four and went up 9-2 before Ole Miss scored a point off of a USC service error. Carolina led by as much as 10 before Ole Miss then went on a 5-0 run to cut the lead 20-15. The Gamecocks then turned it around and went on a 6-2 run to go up 26-17. Ole Miss was able to score four more points before the Gamecocks recorded three to close out the game and the match 30-21. A kill by Eble interrupted USC’s shot at match point but an attack error by the Rebels gave the Gamecocks the point and the 3-1 win.
Hudson and her teams have never lost to Ole Miss. USC has now won 16 straight against the Rebels as their last loss was back in 1992.
USC will return to action Sunday in Starkville, Miss. and face Mississippi State at 2:30 p.m. (EST). The Bulldogs defeated USC 3-0 in Columbia back on Sept. 24. The Gamecocks could improve to a .500 SEC record with a win over the Bulldogs.
