Nov. 21, 2006
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ON TAP THIS WEEK
South Carolina (15-16) vs. College of Charleston (26-7)
Nov. 22 • Columbia, S.C. • 5 p.m. ET
Live Stats: • Radio/Audio: • TV/Video: None
ABOUT THE WEEK
SETTING THE SCENE: The South Carolina Gamecocks will put the 2006 season in the books Wednesday hosting College of Charleston at 5 p.m. in the Volleyball Competition Facility. Carolina finished its conference schedule last week with an 8-12 record and is currently 15-16 overall. The Cougars are 26-7 this season and won their third consecutive Southern Conference Tournament title. College of Charleston was 17-1 during the regular season in the SoCon.
ABOUT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: College of Charleston won its third consecutive Southern Conference Tournament championship over the past weekend to earn the league’s automatic NCAA bid. The Cougars swept Georgia Southern and Chattanooga before defeating UNC Greensboro 3-1 for the title. C of C is 26-7 this season and posted a 17-1 record in the SoCon during the regular season. Fourth-year head coach Sherry Dunbar, who previously was an assistant coach for Tennessee, is 112-21 (.842) and 67-3 (.957) in the Southern Conference since taking over College of Charleston in 2003. Outside hitter Emily Sawin leads the Cougars’ offense with 3.23 kills per game, and fellow outside hitter Deanna Patrick is close behind at 3.21. Middle blocker Tiffany Blum also averages over 3.00 kills per game. Setter Lindsey Kane posts 12.18 assists, 2.53 digs and 0.81 blocks per game. Libero Marie Dobrenz leads the team in digs at 5.85 per game.
THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON SERIES: South Carolina holds a 26-12 advantage in the all-time series with College of Charleston, which dates back to 1975. The Gamecocks have won 16 of the last 18 contests and claimed three in a row at home versus the Cougars. Despite the close proximity of the two schools, USC and C of C did not play each other from 1997 to 2004. Last year, South Carolina went to Charleston, S.C., to play in a tournament hosted by the Cougars and suffered a 3-0 setback.
IF SOUTH CAROLINA WINS: Despite being eliminated from consideration for a bid to the NCAA Tournament, South Carolina still has plenty to play for in its final match of the 2006 season. A win would put the Gamecocks’ final record at 16-16, marking the first record of .500 or better since 2002. USC is trying to get its program back on track after going a combined 37-47 from 2003 to 2005. Carolina enjoyed a great deal of success from 1994 to 2002 with a 187-82 record. A victory for South Carolina also would give the Gamecocks four victories in their final five matches after dropping six of seven. The Garnet & Black closed out last season on a high note as well, winning their final three contests.
