Gamecocks Cap 2018 Regular Season with Loss at No. 13 Florida

GAINESVILLE, FLA. – South Carolina volleyball capped a memorable 2018 regular season at No. 13 Florida (24-6, 15-3 SEC) Friday night, dropping a 3-0 decision to the Gators. The Gamecocks got double-digit kills from Brittany McLean and Courtney Furlong and a career night from Lauren Bowers (11 digs), but were stifled offensively by Florida’s top-rated net defense.
 
SET 1: The Gamecocks (19-9, 10-8 SEC) had a promising start, with Furlong converting all three of her attacks in the team’s first four points, but rest of offense went without a kill and committed four errors on 12 swings to help Florida take an 11-5 lead. The Gators extended the lead out to ten, 19-9, before the Gamecocks were able get back within three late, 23-20, thanks to a pair of aces from Addie Bryant and a 5-0 run, but the Gators closed out the 25-21 win. Furlong and Mikayla Shields finished the set with four kills apiece, but Florida out-hit South Carolina .300 to .147.
 
SET 2: Florida would not grab a big lead in set two, but were able to hold South Carolina’s offense in check and string out its early advantage for a 25-22 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. Despite another sizable advantage in hitting percentage as a team, .350 to .125, the Gators’ biggest lead would only be four points in the set. Trailing 20-16, the Gamecocks used big swings from Furlong and McLean to cut back to one point, 23-22, before Florida again shut the door. McLean finished with seven kills in the set.
 
SET 3: The Gamecocks led 5-4 to start the set, but Florida scored seven of the next eight points to force the Gamecocks into a timeout, and the home side would never look back in a 25-16 win to end the match. The Gator net defense knuckled down in the third, getting four blocks in their first 15 points and finishing with five for the set. The combination of Furlong and McLean again shouldered the majority of swings, and they combined for seven of the team’s 11 kills in the game.
 
NOTABLE

• After tonight, Florida has won 22 straight in the series, dating back to 2006, and 28 straight at home, dating back to 1986.
• Lauren Bowers had the best match of her young career, as the freshman defensive specialist finished with a team-high 11 digs and 16 serve receptions without an error. Normally a serving specialist, Bowers came into the match with 19 career digs over 39 sets.
• Courtney Furlong ended the final regular season match of her career in style, with her fourth double-digit kill performance in a row. The Oviedo, Fla. native shined in her home state with 11 kills, and the senior averaged 3.53 kills per set over the final four matches of the season.
• Fellow left-side hitter Brittany McLean overcame a slow start in the match to lead the team with 12 kills. The junior now has 10 or more kills in six of the last seven matches. 

STAT OF THE MATCH: Florida entered the season finale as the SEC’s leader for team blocks per set (2.81) and finished Friday with 11.0, compared to 2.0 for the Gamecocks. The defense up front helped the home side hold Carolina to a .132 hitting percentage as a team, its second-lowest mark of the season. 
 
UP NEXT: With the regular season complete, South Carolina will now await its postseason fate. The NCAA tournament selection show will air on ESPNU at 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 25. The Gamecocks have not made the NCAA tournament since 2002.