May 24, 2011

2011 Gamecock Volleyball Schedule

COLUMBIA, S.C. – First-year South Carolina head volleyball coach Scott Swanson released his 2011 schedule today, which includes 14 home matches and 17 in the state of South Carolina.

The Gamecocks open the season on the weekend of August 26 at the Temple Invitational, taking on Montana and Stony Brook as well as the host Owls in Philadelphia, Pa. The team returns home to host the Gamecock Invitational, welcoming in a quartet of North Carolina schools (Davidson, Elon, Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville) for the two-day tourney on Sept. 2-3. Non-conference action wraps up over Sept. 9-10 in the Carolina Challenge, the fourth year of this in-state event that features South Carolina, Clemson, College of Charleston and Winthrop. This year, the Carolina Challenge will be played at Carolina First Arena in downtown Charleston.

South Carolina opens the double round-robin Southeastern Conference schedule with a single match at Mississippi State on Sun., Sept. 18 before the typical Friday-Sunday league schedule kicks into gear. Each week, the Gamecocks will face at least one team that made the 2010 NCAA Tournament, including opening the home SEC slate on Sept. 23-25 against Tennessee and Kentucky at the Volleyball Competition Facility. The Gamecocks also host three home weekends in conjunction with football, including that first weekend, the LSU/Arkansas weekend on Oct. 7-9 and the finale on Nov. 18-20 (Auburn/Georgia).

“Our 2011 schedule will be challenging for our young team, but that is how you learn about yourselves by being pushed to your limits,” said Swanson. “I believe in this team because they work hard and want to do the right things on and off the court, and that can take us a long way if we stay healthy and focused. I feel that our preseason schedule is set up for some success if we are focused and mentally ready to compete. The strenuous SEC schedule will be an exciting journey for us, and we will strive to improve our performance each and every week.”

Fans can join the Gamecocks at all 14 home matches at the Volleyball Competition Facility with a season ticket, with the prices a bargain at $25 per adult and $10 for youth 18 and under.