Nov. 26, 2005
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball ended the 2005 season on a high note as they defeated the Winthrop Eagles 3-0 Saturday at the Volleyball Competition Facility. USC halted the Eagles’ 22-match win streak as they won 30-18, 30-20, 30-24. The loss was the first for Winthrop since Sept. 16. The win also marked the third straight for the Gamecocks who finished the season 13-14 and 5-11 in the SEC. The Eagles are now 28-5 overall.
Freshman Marija Milosevic led the Gamecocks with 11 kills and hit .435, while Winthrop’s Mary Hock recorded 12 kills but hit .029. Crystal Johnson led the team in blocks with a career high seven. As a team, the Gamecocks dominated the Eagles in just about every category. USC hit .313 with 36 kills and 10 errors. Winthrop posted 42 kills with 32 errors and struggled with a .088 attack percentage. USC outblocked the Eagles 14-0 with two solos and 24 assists.
“Our blocking was very physical for that team. We had solid blocking today and were able to shut down their attack game,” said head coach Nancy Somera. “We were able to force some errors on their part. I am very pleased with how we came out and played today.”
The sweep was the first for the Gamecocks since Oct. 2 against Ole Miss, and it was only the fifth sweep of the season for USC.
Up 26-16 in game one, USC recorded a service error to give Winthrop the sideout. A kill by hock brought the Eagles to within eight as 26-18 but the Gamecocks then scored four straight to take the win, including back-to-back aces by Milosevic for the final two points of the game.
Game two continued to be all Gamecocks. Winthrop was within eight points before calling a timeout at the 28-20 mark. However, back-to-back errors by Hock gave USC the advantage as they took the 2-0 lead in the match and won 30-20.
The closest game of the match was game three. USC was never able to run away with the lead. Despite hitting .048, Winthrop recorded more kills than USC, 14-11, and outdug the Gamecocks 15-14. The Eagles were within striking distance at the 28-22 mark, but a service error pulled the Gamecocks to within match point. An attack error by USC awarded a sideout to Winthrop and prolonged the game but Cole ended it all with a kill in the middle of Eagle defenders to seal the deal and claim the 30-24 victory.
With the win, the Gamecocks improved to 6-4 at home this season, marking the first winning record at home since 2002. It also marked the 90th career win for Coach Somera.
Senior Sarah Morgan finished her career with 972 digs and is now tied for ninth all-time among Gamecock leaders. Nicole Miller posted two block assists and finished her career with 281 and is now ranked tenth all-time. With her 105 blocks this season, this marks the second consecutive year that USC has had a player record at least 100 blocks in a single season.
