Nov. 2, 2006
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ON TAP THIS WEEK
South Carolina (12-13, 5-9) vs. Mississippi State (14-10, 5-9)
Nov. 3 • Starkville, Miss. • 8 p.m. ET
Live Stats: MStateAthletics.com • Radio/Audio: None • TV/Video: None
South Carolina (12-13, 5-9) vs. Mississippi (14-11, 5-9)
Nov. 5 • Oxford, Miss. • 2:30 p.m. ET
Live Stats: OleMissSports.com • Radio/Audio: None • TV/Video: None
ABOUT THE WEEK
SETTING THE SCENE: The South Carolina volleyball team (12-13, 5-9) looks to recover from a pair of losses to Arkansas and LSU last week when it travels to Starkville, Miss., for an 8 p.m. ET match with Mississippi State (14-10, 5-9) on Friday. Before leaving the Magnolia State, the Gamecocks take on the Mississippi Lady Rebels (14-11, 5-9) in Oxford, Miss., at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. Carolina defeated Ole Miss in four games earlier this season and lost in five to MSU when the teams visited Columbia, S.C., in October.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE: The Bulldogs suffered a 3-1 setback at Tennessee and then lost 3-0 at Kentucky last week to see their record dip to 5-9 in the Southeastern Conference. Previously, Mississippi State had won three in a row against South Carolina, Mississippi and Alabama. The Bulldogs’ offense is led by Orshi Kriegel, who averages 3.64 kills per game and adds 2.72 digs per game. Kriegel’s younger sister, Eva, is the team’s starting setter with numbers of 11.07 assists per game, 1.85 kills and 2.14 digs.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI: Like Mississippi State, the Lady Rebels were unable to snatch a victory at Tennessee or Kentucky last week. Mississippi has two players in Katie Kramer and Jaclyn Toohey who average close to 4.00 kills per game. Kristen Carroll tallies 2.95 kills and digs 2.35 balls per game. Setter Rachel Kieckhaefer averages 12.11 assists and 2.62 digs, and Tara Langley leads the team in digs with an average of 3.70.
THE MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES: The Gamecocks have claimed 14 of the last 16 contests with Mississippi State, although, the series has been split in the last four meetings. USC owns an 18-7 edge in the all-time series with the Bulldogs and is 4-3 when playing in Starkville, Miss.
THE MISSISSIPPI SERIES: South Carolina has won the last 18 match-ups with Mississippi and was last defeated by the Lady Rebels on Nov. 27, 1992, by a 3-1 score in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Overall, Carolina holds a 20-6 edge in the series and is 7-2 in Oxford, Miss.
