Nov. 18, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina volleyball team ended its 2007 season on a high note, sweeping NCAA Tournament hopeful Alabama, 30-27, 30-16, 33-31, on Sunday afternoon at the Volleyball Competition Facility. The Gamecocks finish the year at 14-15, 7-13 in the Southeastern Conference, while Alabama drops to 15-14, 12-8 in league play.
Junior middle blocker Belita Salters had 13 kills to lead the Gamecocks, while sophomore outside hitter Meredith Moorhead added 10. Sophomore libero Sarah Cline topped the squad with 16 digs, while outside hitters Hannah Lawing and Ivana Kujundzic had 13 and 12, respectively. Freshman middle blocker Megan Laughlin complied six blocks in the match to pace Carolina.
The Crimson Tide had three players with double-digit kills. Crystal Hudson had 11, while Bridget Fuentez and Brooks Webster both had 10. Libero Amy Pauly led all players with her 18 digs.
Carolina never trailed in the first game, getting a four-point lead at 10-6 following a Salters kill and a Bama attack error. The Tide knotted up the match at 13-13 after consecutive kills by Hudson and a Gamecock error. Laughlin put South Carolina ahead for good with her kill of a Jordan Bradosky set. The Garnet and Black moved ahead 19-15 on a three-point run that included kills from Moorhead, Kujundzic and Salters. Alabama got within one at 20-19 on kills from Lindsey Buteyn and Hudson, but Carolina stretched the lead out to five behind a pair of kills from freshman Dani Bedore. Alabama made it interesting, getting three straight points on a Buteyn kill and block with Liz Salstrand and a USC handling error to make it 29-27. But an errant Tide serve wrapped up the game for Carolina. Bedore hit .667 with four kills to lead the Gamecocks in the frame, helping the squad to a .317 hitting percentage.
The Gamecocks ran away with game two early. After a pair of aces from the freshman setter Bradosky made it 8-3, Alabama head coach Judy Green called timeout, but it barely fazed Carolina. The lead grew to 15-7 after two separate three-point skeins. The big dagger came soon after, as the Gamecocks went on a six-point run during Cline’s serve that included kills from Kujundzic and Moorhead and a Kujundzic block. That run gave Carolina a 23-9 advantage. Salters ended the frame with her ninth kill of the match. The Garnet and Black defense held Alabama to a -.054 hitting percentage in the game, helped by four Carolina blocks.
Alabama came out fired up in game three, taking an 8-5 lead on kills from Fuentez and Salstrand and a block from Hudson and Salstrand. Carolina came back to take a 10-9 lead after two kills and a block assist by the freshman Lawing. Alabama took back a two-point advantage after a pair of Hudson kills and a block by Hudson and Webster. That lead inched out to 18-15 after a Webster ace. Carolina tied it up again at 19-19 before the Tide got kills from Fuentez and Hudson to go back ahead, 22-19. The Gamecocks answered again to tie it at 22-22, but Alabama kept pushing, getting a 27-24 lead after a Buteyn kill and an ace by setter Brigitte Slack. South Carolina got within one at 28-27 after an Alabama service error and a Cline ace. Fuentez would take Alabama to game point after a kill, but a Crimson Tide attack error kept the Gamecocks alive. Laughlin and Kujundzic got a big block to tie up the match at 29-29 before a Bradosky ace gave Carolina the chance at match point. A Gamecock blocking error tied up the match again before Hudson gave Alabama the chance to force game four after her 11th kill. But Mary Catherine Aune’s serve went long, knotting up the match again. Kujundzic got a kill to give Carolina a chance to close out the match, and a Tide hitting error did just that. Lawing had a team-best five kills in the final frame, while Salters had four with a .667 hitting percentage. Laughlin got three of her blocks in that final game, as well, with Cline adding seven digs.
South Carolina out-hit Alabama, .252-.156, and had the lead in kills, attacks, assists, aces, and blocks. Alabama won the dig battle, 53-52.
