Aug. 11, 2010

by Koby Padgett
Assistant Media Relations Director

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina’s volleyball team kept up the hard work during its third day of preseason camp, working on all parts of the game before wrapping up the day with weights.

After the six-on-six drill, head coach Ben Somera commented, “We can still play defense. We were digging a lot of balls, maybe not as clean as you want, but the pursuit looks good. And the spirit of the defensive effort is good now.

“Offensively, we’re handling the first two contacts well. We’ll get the finishing rhythm as we go through preseason. Our serving looks nice. And blocking’s been the first thing we do in the morning. We’re stuffing a few more balls right now, but we’ve still got to improve on our closing moves. That’s just training.”

After the practice, the Gamecocks went across the Carolina Coliseum to the weight room, putting in some work with assistant strength coach Jon Vaden. The Gamecocks quickly went through the stations early in the workout before closing out with core training.

Also, South Carolina learned that freshman Kellie Schmidt had successful shoulder surgery but would miss the 2010 season. Miss Volleyball in South Carolina last year, Schmidt had her rotator cuff repaired by Dr. Christopher Mazoué, but he reported to the coaches and athletic training staff that the labrum was intact. Schmidt should be ready to play in 2011.

Season tickets for the 2010 volleyball season are $25 for adults and $10 for youth 17 and under. Get your tickets now at GamecocksOnline.com or by calling 1-866-4SC-FANS.