Oct. 30, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina volleyball team has a pair of SEC road matches on the schedule this weekend as it will play at LSU on Friday and at Ole Miss on Sunday.

First serve between the Gamecocks (15-7, 5-4 SEC) and LSU (12-7, 7-3) is set for 8 p.m. ET on Friday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La. Carolina will close out the weekend on Sunday with a matchup against the Rebels (18-5, 4-5) on the SEC Network at 2 p.m. ET at the Gillom Sports Center in Oxford, Miss.

WEEKEND INFORMATION
Friday: at LSU, 8 p.m. ET | Live Stats
Sunday: at Ole Miss, 2 p.m. ET (SEC Network) | SEC Network+ |
On Twitter: @GamecockVolley
Weekend Notes

South Carolina at a Glance
• The Gamecocks are 15-7 on the season and 5-4 in SEC play.
• Carolina snapped a four-match losing streak with wins over Mississippi State and Missouri last weekend.
• The Gamecocks have won back-to-back SEC matches twice this season, the first time they’ve won consecutive conference matches more than once in a season since 2008.
• Carolina has not won three consecutive SEC matches since 2008 when it defeated Arkansas (10/31, Ole Miss (11/2) and Auburn (11/7).
• The Gamecocks have used 10 different starting lineups this season.
• Junior middle blocker Darian Dozier and freshman outside hitter Taylr McNeil have started every match, while senior Mikaela Christiaansen has been libero all 22 matches.

A Look Back at Last Weekend
• The Gamecocks won both SEC contests last weekend, defeating both Mississippi State and defending SEC champion Missouri 3-1.
• Carolina outhit the Bulldogs .274-.190 and held a 15-7 advantage in blocks. The 15 blocks match a season-high in SEC play.
• Junior right side Sarah Blomgren tallied a career-high 17 kills while hitting a career best .538 vs. Mississippi State.
• Junior setter Kellie McNeil had a double-double vs. the Bulldogs with 37 assists, a career-high 14 kills, six digs and seven blocks.
• The win over Missouri is Carolina’s first over the Tigers in four all-time meetings and is its first over a defending SEC champion since defeating No. 6 Florida on Sept. 17, 2006.
• The Gamecocks hit .358 against the Tigers, their best hitting percentage in league play this season.
• Sophomore KoKo Atoa-Williams led the way vs. the Tigers, matching a career-high with 18 kills while hitting a career best .515 with only one attack error on 33 attempts.
• Missouri outhit the Gamecocks .370-.358 and out-blocked Carolina 12-5. It’s was the second time this season Carolina has been outhit and out-blocked and won. The Gamecocks defeated Georgia Tech on Aug. 30 and were outhit .269-.258 and out-blocked 13-12.

Gamecocks in the SEC and NCAA Stats
• South Carolina leads the SEC and ranks 43rd nationally in blocks per set (2.49).
• The Gamecocks lead the SEC and rank 40th nationally in total blocks (212).
• Carolina is second in the SEC opponent hitting percentage (.183).
• The Gamecocks rank second in the conference in digs per set (14.98).
• Junior middle blocker Darian Dozier is fourth in the SEC and 39th nationally in blocks per set (1.30). She also ranks second in the conference and 27th in the nation in total blocks (107).
• Freshman outside hitter Taylr McNeil ranks seventh in the conference in kills per set (3.44) and is second among freshmen. She is also eighth in the league in points per set (3.83).
• Junior setter Kellie McNeil ranks fourth in the SEC in aces per set (0.32).
• Senior libero Mikaela Christiaansen is third in the SEC in digs per set (4.32) and second in total digs (370).
• Sophomore KoKo Atoa-Williams has seven double-doubles, which is tied for the seventh most in the SEC.

Road Match Notes
• The Gamecocks are 4-2 in true road matches this season.
• Four of Carolina’s six road matches have been three-set matches. The Gamecocks are 3-1 in those matches.
• The Gamecocks have also played one four-set match on the road, a loss at Alabama, and a five-set match, a win at Auburn.
• Carolina is hitting .191 on the road while holding opponents to a .172 hitting percentage. The Gamecocks have also out-blocked opponents on the road 47-40.
• Freshman outside hitter Taylr McNeil (3.33 kills per set), junior setter Kellie McNeil (8.57 assists per set), senior libero Mikaela Christiaansen (4.76 digs per set) and junior middle blocker Darian Dozier (1.14 blocks per set) have led the Gamecocks on the road this season.
• Under head coach Scott Swanson, the Gamecocks are 13-28 on the road.

In the last 10 matches…
• The Gamecocks have a 5-5 record.
• Carolina has played three ranked teams, losing to No. 14 Kentucky 3-1, No. 8 Florida 3-1 and No. 20 Texas A&M 3-2.
• Carolina has been outhit .239-.193.
• The Gamecocks have out-blocked opponents 89-79.
• Freshman outside hitter Taylr McNeil has led the team with an average of 3.22 kills per set and has two double-doubles
• Junior setter Kellie McNeil has averaged a team-best 7.83 assists per set and has led the team with a .296 hitting percentage, averaging 1.27 kills per set. She has also recorded three double-doubles.
• Junior middle blocker Darian Dozier has averaged a team best 1.00 blocks per set to go along with two kills per set.
• Senior libero Mikaela Christiaansen has averaged 4.49 digs per set.

On this Date
• On Oct. 31, 2008, South Carolina swept Arkansas by the scores of 25-14, 25-18 and 25-18. The Gamecocks hit .423 as a team. Belita Salters fell one attack attempt shy of making it into the Gamecock record books as she hit .857 for the match, recording 12 kills and 14 attempts with no attack errors. Carolina finished the year at 21-9 overall and 12-8 in the SEC.
• On Nov. 2, 2008, the Gamecocks defeated Ole Miss in Columbia by the scores of 22-25, 25-19, 30-28 and 25-19. Ivana Kujundzic (14 kills, 15 digs) and Bridget Denson-Dorman (50 assists, 11 digs) both had double-doubles for Carolina. It is the last time the Gamecocks and Rebels played on Nov. 2.

Climbing the Single-Season and Career Records Lists
• Junior middle blocker Darian Dozier is 11 block assists away from breaking into the top 10 all-time at South Carolina with 265.
• With 98 block assists this season, Dozier ranks fourth on the school single-season rally scoring era list. She tied the rally scoring era record last season with 107.
• Dozier has also moved to fifth on the single-season rally scoring era list for total blocks with 107. The school record is 128 (Belita Salters – 2007).
• Dozier also has a chance to break the rally scoring era blocks per set record for a single season. The record is 1.38 held by Belita Salters (2005). Dozier is currently averaging 1.30 blocks per set.
• Senior libero Mikaela Christiaansen is on pace to post a top-five digs per set average for a single season in the rally scoring era. Her current average of 4.35 would rank fourth ahead of the next closest average of 3.91 by Paige Wheeler (2012).
• Christiaansen is 16 digs away (370) from matching her total from last year of 386, which ranked fifth in school history for a single season in the rally scoring era.

Scouting LSU
• The Tigers enter Friday’s matchup with a 12-7 overall record and a 7-3 mark in SEC play.
• LSU has won seven straight matches since starting 0-3 in SEC play.
• The Tigers are No. 25 in the latest NCAA Volleyball RPI.
• LSU is hitting .237 on the year and allowing opponents to hit .222.
• LSU ranks second in the conference in blocks per set (2.43).
• Sophomore middle blocker Briana Holman, the 2013 AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year and All-SEC selection, leads the league and ranks third nationally in blocks per set (1.62). She is also first in the SEC and 18th nationally in total blocks (117).
• Holman also leads the team and ranks third in the league in kills per set (3.66) and fourth in hitting percentage (.380).
• Senior setter Malorie Pardo is averaging 10.23 assists per set, which ranks sixth in the SEC. She has eight double-doubles on the year, which is sixth most in the SEC.
• Senior libero Haley Smith ranks fourth in the SEC in digs per set 4.05.

Series History vs. LSU
• Friday’s match will be the 34th all-time meeting between LSU and South Carolina.
• The Tigers lead the all-time series 20-13.
• The Gamecocks are 1-9 in their last 10 matches vs. LSU.
• Carolina’s lone win over LSU in the last 10 matches was a 3-2 win in Columbia on Sept. 23, 2012.
• Carolina is 6-11 all-time in matches played at LSU.
• The Gamecocks’ last win at LSU was a 3-0 victory on Sept. 26, 2003.

Last Time vs. LSU – Nov. 24, 2013
• The Gamecocks fell in three sets vs. the Tigers by the scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 25-17.
• Dessaa Legros paced the Gamecocks with 11 kills.
• LSU outhit the Gamecocks .305-.198.
• Outside hitter Cati Leak led LSU with 13 kills while hitting .478.

Scouting Ole Miss
• The Rebels enter the weekend with an 18-5 overall record and a 4-5 mark in the SEC.
• Ole Miss is 5-5 in its last 10 matches and has lost two straight.
• The Rebels rank third in the SEC and 25th nationally in hitting percentage (.262) and are sixth in the SEC in opponent hitting percentage (.192).
• Junior middle blocker Nakeyta Clair ranks second in the SEC and 15th nationally in hitting percentage (.411).
• Clair also leads the team and ranks eighth in the SEC in kills per set (3.33) and ninth in blocks per set (1.02).
• Sophomore setter Aubrey Edie is fourth in the SEC in assists per set (11.09).
• Senior libero Cara Fisher ranks eighth in the conference in digs per set (3.55).
• Freshman outside hitter Lexi Thompson has recorded a team-best five double-doubles.

Series History vs. Ole Miss
• Sunday’s meeting will be the 42nd all-time between South Carolina and Ole Miss.
• The Gamecocks lead the all-time series 26-15.
• Carolina is 5-5 in its last 10 meetings with the Rebels, including two straight wins.
• The Gamecocks are 10-7 all-time in Oxford.
• Carolina’s last win in Oxford was a 3-1 victory last season on Oct. 20, 2013.

Last Time vs. Ole Miss – Sept. 26, 2014
• The Gamecocks opened SEC play this season with a 3-2 victory over the Rebels by the scores of 22-25, 19-25, 25-21, 26-24 and 15-12.
• The win marked the first time the Gamecocks lost the first two sets and came back to win since rallying from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Alabama at home on Nov. 13, 2005.
• Junior setter Kellie McNeil fell one dig shy of a triple-double, finishing with 38 assists, a career-high 10 kills, nine digs and six blocks. She hit .667 on the night without an attack error.
• Middle blocker Nakeyta Clair paced Ole Miss with 20 kills and four blocks.

Searching for a Triple-Double
• A Gamecock player has not recorded a triple-double since the 2005 season. Iris Santos was the last to do so, as she finished with 57 assists, 13 digs and 12 kills against Houston on Sept. 16, 2005.
• Junior setter Kellie McNeil has come close to ending the drought on three occasions, including last season’s match vs. Coastal Carolina (10/30/13) with 52 assists, 12 digs and nine blocks. She finished with 38 assists, 10 kills, nine digs and six blocks against Ole Miss this season (9/26). In last year’s match at Tennessee (9/29/13), she had 41 assists, 20 digs and seven blocks.

Block Party
• Blocking has been a key to the Gamecocks’ success this season as they rank first in the SEC and 43rd nationally in blocks per set (2.49).
• Junior middle blocker Darian Dozier is third in the SEC in blocks per set (1.30), while sophomore middle Jacqy Angermiller ranks 15th in the league (0.95).
• South Carolina recorded 17 blocks vs. Eastern Kentucky, its most since recording 20 vs. St. Johns on Sept. 8, 2006.
• Angermiller tallied a career-high 11 blocks (all block assists) vs. Eastern Kentucky, which is tied for the second most block assists in a five-set match in school history and the fourth most total blocks in a five-set match.
• Carolina has out-blocked its opponents in 15 of 22 matches. The Gamecocks are 12-3 in those matches.
• The Gamecocks have out-blocked opponents 156-101 in wins and have been out-blocked 58-56 in losses.

Winning the Hitting Battle
• When outhitting opponents, the Gamecocks are 11-0 on the season.
• Carolina is outhitting opponents .249-.154 in wins and is being outhit .240-.134 in losses.
• In conference matches, the Gamecocks are being outhit .234-.206.
• The Gamecocks are outhitting opponents .191-.172 on the road.
• The Gamecocks have held opponents to a below a .150 hitting percentage 10 times in 22 matches.
• Carolina has won four matches when being outhit, vs. Georgia Tech (.258-.269), vs. Ole Miss (.184-.189), vs. Auburn (.211-.221) and vs. Missouri (.358-.370).

All-Time Records
• South Carolina holds a 752-575 (.567) record.
• The Gamecocks are 166-219 (.431) in SEC play.
• In matches played at the Carolina Volleyball Center, South Carolina is 165-87 (.655).