Gamecock Attack Guides the Way in Sweep of Mississippi State

COLUMBIA, S.C. – With an offense putting out its best performance of the season, South Carolina volleyball cruised to a 3-0 sweep of Mississippi State Thursday night, 25-18, 25-17, 25-19. Four different hitters had eight or more kills with a hitting percentage of .429 or better, with Kyla Manning leading the team with 11 kills.
 
SET ONE: The offense took some time to find itself in the opening set, but when it locked in, it roared. Mississippi State held an early 7-4 lead and trailed just 16-15 before the Gamecocks turned on the jets in a 25-18 win. Kyla Manning and McKenzie Moorman teamed up to lead the charge, combining for four kills in the team’s final nine points of the set, and Mallory Dixon and Manning’s serves kept the Bulldog offense out of sync late as nine of the final 12 points of the set went Carolina’s way. In total, the home side hit .471 with 18 kills in the game, with four individuals pitching in three or more kills. Dixon almost went for a double-double in the first set alone, with 13 assists and a team-high seven digs.
 
SET TWO: The Gamecocks built a big lead to open the second set, and showed off its depth with 14 different Carolina student-athletes seeing the court in a 25-17 decision. Five hitters had multiple kills, with Ellie Ruprich’s four kills on just five swings pacing the field. South Carolina out-hit the Bulldogs .353 to .075 and led by as much as 11 points late into the set. 
 
SET THREE: The sweep was secured in a 25-19 final in the third, this time it was Mikayla Robinson with the hot hand for South Carolina. The senior led the team with five kills, Manning added four more to push her to 11 for the night, and Ruprich converted all three of her swings into kills for the set. In a 14-14 tie, Caitlin Crawford and Dixon guided a 6-2 run that provided all the cushion the team needed, and Riley Whitesides put the game away with a block and a kill for the team’s final two points in the match.
 
NOTABLE

• The team’s best hitting percentage this season prior to Thursday night was .323, coming in the season opener at Georgia Oct. 17. In 95 total attacks, the Gamecocks committed just six unforced attacking errors.
• Mallory Dixon spearheaded the team’s attack, finishing with 37 assists, seven digs, two aces and two blocks.
• In the second set, the team was able to see 14 different players take part. Highlighting the bench effort was a kill from Kiune Fletcher, two digs from Janna Schlageter and a pair of kills from Kylee Stokes.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Tom Mendoza on freshman Ellie Ruprich (eight kills, .889 hitting percentage, three total blocks)
“She’s going through the process the right way, her setter is putting her in great situations … but she’s going into it with the right mindset, taking what the block gives or taking what the defense gives her. Obviously no errors is great, we don’t want those risky shots where it’s half the time it’s a kill or half the time it’s an error. It means she’s looking for the right swings. Anytime we can use these teachable moments in positive reinforcement that’s always a positive thing. Great players can do this for long stretches of time and I think Ellie has that capability.”
 
UP NEXT
The two teams will face off again Friday night at 7 p.m. on the SEC Network+.