Sept. 16, 2008
COLUMBIA, S.C. – GamecocksOnline.com sat down with South Carolina Head Volleyball Coach Ben Somera on Monday afternoon to wrap up the pre-Southeastern Conference schedule and look ahead to league play, which begins on Friday night against formally-ranked LSU at 7 p.m. in the Volleyball Competition Facility.
Somera first remarked on the defense, which currently leads the SEC with 16.09 digs per set, nearly a dig and a half more than second-ranked Mississippi. That was a key for the team this season.
“Our staff believed we need to get better in our floor defense after the 2007 season,” Somera spoke, “Digging more balls per game was a goal for our team this season, and we have trained with every intention to do that. Statically, we are digging more balls, and our block is doing a good job of funneling attacks to our diggers. Stats aren’t necessarily showing the improvement in our block or our serving, but the end result is there with the dig and that is what we are most concerned with.”
The schedule compiled by Somera and his staff has been challenging, featuring contests against four NCAA Tournament teams from last year, another regular-season league champion and a dangerous Pacific-10 Conference foe. The rough slate has been good for the experienced team, as they went 8-1 in the action.
The numbers back up Somera. In digs, the Gamecocks have never averaged under 15.7 per set on a weekend so far. The offense has improved in each tournament, starting at 12.4 kills per set in the ASU Sheraton Classic and growing to 15.8 kills per frame in the Carolina Challenge. The setting took a big jump last weekend, shooting from 11.1 and 11.4 to 14.8 per set. One area that looks different from last year is aces, but the drop-off has come due to a shift to more strategic serving than was used last season.
“Over the three competitive weekends, our defense has stayed consistently high,” commented Somera. “Our offensive rhythm and output has improved each week since the start of preseason training. We wanted to lay the foundation to our system during that period and learn how to compete. Our schedule allowed us to do both.”
The team now enters league play as one of the best statistical teams in the conference despite the tougher schedule. The Gamecocks lead the league in hitting percentage (.272) and digs per set (16.09), while they stand second in kills (13.85) and third in assists (12.38). South Carolina players are all over the conference’s individual lists. Both Belita Salters (2nd, .409) and Megan Laughlin (5th, .361) rank in the top five in hitting percentage, while Salters (7th, 3.18) joins Ivana Kujundzic (3rd, 3.62) in the top 10 in kills per set. Sarah Cline’s 3.75 digs per set ranks sixth in the league.
“We’re at a good place heading into the conference schedule. Our goal for the first half of league play is to maintain our offensive and defensive output against SEC opponents.”
Come see if the Gamecocks can do that as they host the Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs this weekend at the Volleyball Competition Facility, on the corner of Assembly and Blossom Streets directly across from the Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center. On Friday night against LSU, 100 lucky fans have the chance to win a pair of Gamecock Crocs. Sunday’s contest will be a “Go Green” event, with the first 300 fans that bring recyclable cans and bottles receiving reusable grocery bags.
