Aug. 27, 2011

Box Score

by Koby Padgett
Assistant Media Relations Director

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – South Carolina (2-0) shrugged off a second-set loss to take a four-set victory over Stony Brook (0-3) in the first match on Saturday morning in the Temple Invitational.

Sophomore outside hitter Juliette Thévenin posted her second double-double of the season, making 17 kills and 12 digs. Sophomore libero Paige Wheeler added a match-best 18 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Frankie Vain posted her best match as a Gamecock, hitting .500 with 10 kills and three blocks. Freshman outside hitter Hanna Forst contributed seven kills and four blocks, while freshman outside hitter Bethanie Thomas also posted seven kills and nine digs. Alicia Nelson led the Seawolves with 16 kills and 11 digs. Laura Hathaway and Hailee Herc added 15 and 10 digs, respectively.

The Gamecocks took the first behind a balanced attack that saw four players record at least three kills each. South Carolina got some distance in the set when it took five of six points to make the lead 11-6. Another five-point run made it 17-9, with kills coming from four different Gamecocks in the stretch. Kills by Howley, junior outside hitter Christina Glover and Thévenin ended the frame at 25-15. In the set, the squad hit at a .417 clip while holding the Seawolves to a .133 mark. Thévenin had four kills and six digs, Glover had three kills and six digs, while Vain and redshirt freshman outside hitter Cara Howley tallied four kills each.

Stony Brook came back to take the second set, 25-19, hitting .464 in the process. The Seawolves just steadily moved away, never getting more than a three-point run. Nelson had seven kills in the set, while Slaughter added five.

South Carolina stretched early advantages in the third on Thévenin’s serve, gaining 4-1 and 13-9 advantages. But the Seawolves fought back, taking a lead thanks to a three-point swing that closed with consecutive kills by Hailee Herc. But the Gamecocks went on a run of their own, taking the final six points to claim the set, 25-19. Thévenin had two aces and a back-row kill, while Forst and Stenlund both were in on two blocks in the stretch.

The Gamecocks dominated in the fourth set, taking a 25-10 win. Holding an 8-7 lead, South Carolina took 17 of the final 20 points to win the set and clinch the match. Forst had five kills without an error in the frame, while Thévenin and Vain both added four. South Carolina hit .486 in the frame and held the Seawolves to a -.057 percentage, helped by four Gamecock blocks.

The Gamecocks won all but one statistical category again, including a .386-.157 advantage in hitting. The Seawolves only topped the Gamecocks in aces, 6-4.