Oct. 11, 2013
| Highlights |
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina volleyball team fell in three sets to Georgia on Friday night, as the Bulldogs took the sets 25-21, 25-20 and 27-25 in front of a crowd of 1,211 at the Volleyball Competition Facility.
With the loss, the Gamecocks fall to 10-7 overall and 2-3 in conference play. Georgia improves to 14-3 on the season and 4-1 in the SEC.
South Carolina was unable to overcome 11 Bulldog service aces, including seven in the third set. The Gamecocks out-blocked Georgia 7.5-7.0, but the Bulldogs held a slim advantage in hitting percentage (.250-.227), kills (42-39) and digs (43-41).
Senior outside hitter Juliette Thévenin paced the Gamecocks with a match-high 16 kills while hitting .324. She also added eight digs and three assists. Freshman Dessaa Legros added nine kills with a .348 hitting percentage, while freshman middle blocker Jacqy Angermiller contributed six kills and seven blocks, including a pair of solo blocks. Sophomore setter Kellie McNeil distributed a match-high 33 assists, and freshman defensive specialist Gabrielle Rubeis collected 10 digs.
Junior outside hitter Inutiraha Le’au led the Bulldogs with 13 kills, while senior outside hitter Brittany Northcutt chipped in eight kills and nine digs. Junior setter Kaylee Kehoe finished with 25 assists, and senior libero Allison Summers tallied 13 digs in the win.
The first set went back and forth early on as the teams played through seven ties, with the last being at 15-15 after a kill by Legros. Georgia then went on a 5-1 run to take a 20-16 lead on a Gamecock attack error. The Gamecocks kept battling as they pulled to within two points on three occasions down the stretch, but after South Carolina cut it to 22-20 on a Georgia service error, the Bulldogs outscored the Gamecocks 3-1 to claim a 25-21 win.
Georgia took control of the second set early, building a 10-4 lead behind three kills from Tirah. Legros delivered three kills and Thévenin added two to spark a late 6-3 run by the Gamecocks to cut Georgia’s lead to 23-20. However, the Bulldogs scored the next two points to close out the set and take a 2-0 lead.
The Gamecocks battled to extend the match as they held an 18-15 lead in the third set. The Bulldogs scored three straight points, including a pair of aces, to tie the set at 18-18. South Carolina answered with two consecutive points and eventually had set point at 24-22 after a kill by Angermiller, but Georgia scored the next three points to take a 25-24 lead. Angermiller came through with another kill to tie it up, but it wasn’t enough, as the Bulldogs scored the next to points to win the set and the match.
South Carolina returns to action on Sunday at home against No. 15 Kentucky. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m. at the Volleyball Competition Facility.
