Oct. 4, 2007

South Carolina vs. Tennessee (Oct. 5 @ 7 p.m.)
South Carolina vs. Kentucky (Oct. 7 @ 1 p.m.)

Weekend Notes in PDF Format
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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Returning home for the first time in four weekends, the South Carolina volleyball team comes back to Columbia with a Southeastern Conference victory, its first of the season, after taking a 3-1 win over Mississippi State. The Gamecocks now face off against Tennessee on Friday night at 7 p.m., before wrapping up the short homestand with a 1 p.m. match against Kentucky on Sunday.

During the Tennessee match, each dig that Carolina makes will be worth one dollar. Fans can also donate money through straight donations or through a per-dig figure as well. Another feature of the event is the silent auction, where items signed by South Carolina head coaches from volleyball, football, basketball and baseball will be put up for bid. That auction will take place throughout the match. Also, the first 250 fans will receive a “Dig for the Cure” T-shirt with paid full price admission.

South Carolina has partnered with the local chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the University of South Carolina’s Zeta Tau Alpha sorority to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer.

Through the “Dig for the Cure” program, participating volleyball teams have helped raise more than $36,000 for the Komen Foundation. All money raised by the Gamecocks and other teams goes directly to the Komen Foundation’s local affiliate in their communities.

All-Time Versus Tennessee: The Gamecocks have won 23 of the 48 previous meetings against the Lady Vols. Last season, the Garnet and Black halted a seven-match losing streak against the Big Orange with a 3-1 triumph at the Volleyball Competition Facility. In Columbia, South Carolina holds a 12-6 advantage in the series.

All-Time Versus Kentucky: In similar fashion to the Tennessee series history, the Gamecoks halted a five-match winless skid at home on Nov. 10 against the Wildcats. Kentucky holds a slight 18-17 advantage in the all-time meetings, while Carolina has an 11-5 mark against the Blue and White at home.

Sophomores Cline, Kujundzic and Moorhead Power Gamecocks in SEC Play: The play of sophomore outside hitters Ivana Kujundzic and Meredith Moorhead has been stellar so far in SEC play. The Serbia native Kujundzic has made more kills per game since league action started, rising to 3.13 kills a game now, while her hitting percentage is 15 points better against the SEC. Her digs per game have also gone up to 2.78, over half a dig more per frame. Moorhead has played very well since her return from an injury suffered against Troy during the 2007 Nike Gamecock Invitational. The Charlotte, N.C., product has hit at a .367 during the matches, better than her .231 average during the non-conference slate. She collected double-digit kills in each of her last three outings. Defensive specialist/libero Sarah Cline has worked her way into the starting lineup, and that change paid immediate dividends, as she dug 22 balls in the win at Mississippi State.

Complete notes available in the PDF linked above.