Oct. 31, 2010
UNIVERSITY, Miss. – Another good fight from the Gamecocks (5-18, 2-11 SEC) ended in defeat, as Mississippi (17-6, 11-3 SEC) captured a four-set win over South Carolina, 25-21, 25-16, 20-25, 25-23, on Sunday afternoon at the Gillom Sports Center.
Gamecock freshman outside hitter Juliette Thévenin led all hitters with 18 kills, while senior libero Hannah Lawing topped all players with 21 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Christina Glover posted her second double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs. Sophomore setter Taylor Bruns had 35 assists and four aces. Allegra Wells led the Ole Miss attack with 12 kills, while Miranda Kitts added 11 to go with eight blocks, four solos. Emily Kvitle had 18 digs, leading a group of four Rebels in double digits. Setter Amanda Philpot had 41 assists and 12 digs, while Whitney Craven and Morgan Springer both contributed 11 digs. Regina Thomas posted eight kills with a .438 hitting percentage and added four blocks.
The Rebels used a five-point run to break open a close first set, winning it 25-21. The stand gave Ole Miss a 17-13 lead, an advantage it extended to 21-15 after a three-point skein that included a pair of Thomas blocks. South Carolina made a three-point stand late, but Kitts ended things with a swing. The Rebels had four attackers with multiple kills, while Thévenin had five for the Gamecocks. Lawing made eight digs to lead the Gamecocks.
Another close set in the second was blown open by the Rebels in a 25-16 Ole Miss win. Tied at 13-13, Mississippi captured 10 of the next 11 points, with Philpot landing two kills and a block assist to help the Rebels run away with things. A Gamecock service error ended the frame. Wells made four kills to lead the Ole Miss offense.
South Carolina ran out to a big lead in the third then held on for a 25-20 win. The Gamecocks took the first three points on Bruns aces before taking eight of 10 points in a stretch to make it 19-10. The Rebels responded by taking seven of the next nine before the teams traded side outs till the end. Thévenin had 6.5 points in the frame for the Gamecocks, while South Carolina hit .423 as a team in the set.
The Gamecocks rebounded from an early 6-2 Rebel lead to take an 11-10 advantage thanks to a pair of three-point strings, the second capped by a Bruns ace. Neither team could break open this set, however, as the teams stayed within two points of each other the rest of the way. The Rebels, however, did get five of six points to arrive to set point at 24-22. Glover fended off the first set point with a kill, but a Gamecock attack error ended things at 25-23. Ole Miss hit .300 in the clincher.
South Carolina held advantages in aces (8-4) and dig (63-62), but Ole Miss held a 12-3 lead in blocks to help win the hitting percentage war, .232-.179.
The Gamecocks stay on the road for a pair of matches at Auburn and Georgia.
