Gamecocks Fall to NC State in Three Sets

Aug. 29, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to North Carolina State to wrap up the Gamecock Invitational on Saturday night, losing by the scores of 27-25, 25-16 and 25-14 at the Carolina Volleyball Center.

With the loss, the Gamecocks fall to 2-1 on the season. The Wolfpack improved to 3-0 to claim the tournament title.

NC State finished the night with the edge in hitting percentage (.273-.120), kills (43-30) and digs (46-32), while the Gamecocks had a 6-5 advantage in blocks.

Junior outside hitter Dessaa Legros paced the Gamecocks with eight kills, five digs and two blocks. Legros earned a spot on the All-Tournament team after averaging a tournament-best 4.22 kills per set in three matches. Junior Sarah Blomgren pitched in five kills and a pair of blocks, while senior middle Darian Dozier, freshman setter Aubrey Ezell, junior middle Jacqy Angermiller and freshman Courtney Furlong finished with four kills apiece. Ezell distributed 23 assists and also tallied seven digs, and junior libero Joely Cabrera added 13 digs.

Senior middle blocker Morgan Cormier led North Carolina State with a double-double, recording 11 kills while hitting .526 and 10 digs. Sophomore Julia Brown, who was named the Tournament MVP, pitched in nine kills, while Perry Ramsey, Maggie Speaks and Kaitlyn Kearney each had six kills. Speaks also dished out 33 assists and had seven digs in the win.

Match Changer
The Gamecocks fought back from a 13-7 deficit in the first set to eventually knot things at 24-24. However, the Wolfpack scored three of the next four points to win the set and gain momentum.

Key Stat
After hitting .293 in the first set, Carolina hit -.062 and .074 in the second and third sets, respectively.

Notable
– The loss was South Carolina’s first in home tournament play since a 3-0 setback against Lipscomb in the Gamecock Invitational on Sept. 11, 2010.
– Legros was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging a tournament-best 4.22 kills per set.
– Ezell led the tournament in assists with an average of 9.56 per set.
– With three blocks on Saturday, Dozier moved into a tie for ninth on Carolina’s all-time total blocks list with 328, tying Sam Alban (1999-02).
– The Gamecocks played in front of a crowd of more than 1,000 for the third-straight match. A total of 1,554 fans packed the CVC on Saturday, the ninth largest crowd in CVC history.

Tweet of the Match

Let’s go @GamecockVolley!! The school spirit on display here is unbelievable. Students are wrapped around the bldg. pic.twitter.com/bsBtlXPQ8Z

– dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) August 29, 2015