Nov. 13, 2010

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

by Koby Padgett
Assistant Media Relations Director

COLUMBIA, S.C. – On Senior Night at the Volleyball Competition Facility, the South Carolina Gamecocks (7-20, 4-13 SEC) rode their three seniors to a five-set triumph over Mississippi State (11-17, 3-14 SEC), 25-22, 17-25, 19-25, 25-17, 15-12, in front of 352 fans on Saturday.

Senior Hannah Lawing broke South Carolina’s single-match record for digs with 38 in the affair, while she compiled 11 kills during her three sets at outside hitter. Senior outside hitter Megan Laughlin had a team-best 15 kills while hitting .353, and senior setter Jordan Bradosky posted 18 assists and 13 digs, her third double-double of the year. Freshman Juliette Thévenin had 14 kills and a career-best 23 digs, while freshman Paige Wheeler posted a career-high 16 digs, playing the final three sets at libero. Junior middle blocker Teresa Stenlund had eight kills and seven blocks, and sophomore setter Taylor Bruns tallied 42 assists, eight digs and nine kills while hitting .533.

The first set was extremely close, with 16 tie scores and six lead changes in the frame. Neither team got more than a two-point lead until the final one of the frame, when sophomore Christina Glover and freshman Frankie Vain put up a block to end it, 25-22. Laughlin had six kills with just one error in the frame, while Lawing and Thévenin both tallied nine digs.

The Bulldogs came back to take the second, breaking things open with a 6-1 stretch that made it 11-5. Another Mississippi State three-point run pushed the lead to 21-13. Chanelle Baker polished off the 25-17 set win with her third kill of the frame. Caitlin Rance added three, while Ashley Newsome posted four without an error. Kayla Woodard posted eight digs as well for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State used a three-point skein early to take control of the third at 8-5. After the Gamecocks tied things at 15-15, the Bulldogs used another three-point stand to pull away. A Gamecock attack error ended things at 25-19. Newsome and Rance again had three kills each, while the Bulldogs posted six blocks in the frame, five by Newsome that included one solo stuff.

South Carolina broke things open early in the fourth, getting a 7-1 advantage thanks to two kills each by Laughlin and Lawing. After the Gamecocks made the advantage 10 five times, the Bulldogs fought back to within six by taking five of six points in a late stretch. But the Gamecocks prevailed, as Bruns got her fourth kill of the frame to wrap it at 25-17. Lawing also had four kills to go with nine digs, while Laughlin had five without an error. Thévenin and Stenlund combined for four blocks in the frame.

The fifth was a set of runs, with the Gamecocks getting the first and the final swing to take it 15-12. Thévenin had three kills without an error, while Bruns had two, including the match clincher.

The Gamecocks had more kills, assists, aces and digs than the Bulldogs, while Mississippi State won the hitting percentage and block battles. South Carolina swept a weekend for the first time since the last full weekend of 2008, when the Gamecocks downed both Alabama and Mississippi State at home.

Rance led Mississippi State with 16 kills and four aces while adding 10 digs. Newsome posted 14 kills and eight blocks, and Baker added 10 kills. Paris Perret had 46 assists and 14 digs. Woodard had 27 digs, one of five Bulldogs in double figures. Iwa Belisario had 17, and Hillary Parker added 15.

The Gamecocks hit the road for a tough weekend, starting at nationally-ranked LSU on Friday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. CST.