Sept. 29, 2005

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball returns home for the first time since Sept. 6 and will play host to the Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-2, 0-1 SEC) and the Ole Miss Rebels (6-8, 0-2 SEC). Friday’s match against MSU is set for 7 p.m., while Sunday’s meeting against Ole Miss is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The Gamecocks are still looking for its first conference win of the season.

MSU is coming off of a two-match losing streak after falling 3-2 to Arkansas-Little Rock and 3-1 to No. 6 Florida. The Bulldogs attempted to play Georgia in their last time out, however the match was halted in game three due to a power outage in Starkville. The match was tied 1-1 and game three was 3-3 when called.

USC leads the series against the Bulldogs 16-6 and last year the two teams split. In last year’s USC SEC opener, MSU defeated the Gamecocks for the first time since 1994. The win snapped a 12-match losing streak for the Rebels. USC did however earn a victory in the second meeting of the year when the Gamecocks traveled to Starkville and picked up a 3-0 win.

Head Coach Tina Seals is in her second season at MSU and Rachel Cooper leads the team in kills (178) and in attack percentage (4.34). Prior to their loss to Arkansas-Little Rock, State started off the season with a nine-match win streak. As a team, MSU is hitting .241 while their opponents are hitting .181. Defensively, MSU is being out dug 609-664 and out blocked 88-92.

South Carolina leads the series against Ole Miss 18-6 and currently has a 16-match win streak over the Rebels. Former Gamecock assistant Joe Getzin is the Ole Miss head coach, and will aim for his first win ever against USC. The Rebels are hoping to snap a five-match losing streak. Ole Miss lost 3-2 to Georgia and 3-0 to No. 6 Florida last weekend.

Nikki Hill is the Rebels’ kill leader as she enters the weekend with 229. As a team, Ole Miss is averaging 14.43 kills per game and is hitting .206 while their opponents have hit .239.

USC suffered two heartbreaking losses last weekend as they fell 3-2 to No. 24 LSU and to Arkansas. South Carolina will regroup and look to record its first conference win for first year head coach Nancy Somera. Somera is 1-0 against Mississippi State as she posted a victory against the Bulldogs back in 1993 with Oregon State. Shonda Cole continues to lead USC in kills with 209 and is averaging 4.75 kills per game. Senior Nicole Miller continues to lead in blocks with 50, while Sarah Morgan leads in digs with 149.

For fans attending Sunday’s match, there will be an autograph session with the Gamecock players.