Gamecocks Cap Weekend With Loss to Wake Forest
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball’s seven-game win streak came to a end after dropping a 3-1 decision to Wake Forest (5-3) Sunday afternoon, rounding out its three-day home tournament. Despite the loss, graduate student Riley Whitesides and junior Alayna Johnson combined for 31 kills. On the defensive side, freshman Victoria Harris and junior Sarah Jordan produced 29 digs, but the Deacons’ defense won the day with 18 total blocks, the most against the Gamecocks (7-2) since 2022.
1st SET: The match’s opening set saw South Carolina struggling to beat Wake Forest’s defense at the point of attack, hitting .077 with five blocked attacks in a 25-23 loss. The Deacons would lead by as much as nine points before the Gamecocks could muster their first extended rally, powered by a strong serving effort from sophomore Elizabeth McElveen. She recorded four aces in a nine-point run by South Carolina that would tie the game 22-22. The tide-turning moment was rounded off by back-to-back kills by Whitesides and Johnson to put South Carolina back in the game. The service game bit the Gamecocks late, though, as their lone error came in a 23-all score and the Deacons would get a transition kill to thwart the comeback.
2nd SET: Set two was characterized by three significant scoring runs by South Carolina, putting it in the position to win, 25-21.The Gamecock offense started off hot, going on a six-point scoring run. However, Wake Forest answered the call with two separate four-point scoring runs to take the lead back at 9-8. The Deacons remained ahead, but the Gamecock’s offense kept the game neck and neck. South Carolina eventually tied the game at 20 off a kill by Whitesides, she continued this momentum, allowing South Carolina to take the lead back for good with three kills in a five-point scoring run to put the score at 24-20.
3rd SET: Both teams’ offense kept it close, with the score reaching a tie six times before Wake Forest eventually took off running late in a 25-17 win. Whitesides and Johnson carried the bulk of the attack, combining for nine of the team’s 11 kills in the third set. However, though both teams came close in their offensive production, both finishing with 11 kills, it was the Deacons’ defense that allowed for the breakaway, putting up four blocks. Intermittent scoring spurts by Wake Forest and tough service behind the line made it difficult for South Carolina to find a rhythm, the home side hit just .031 to drop the pivotal third set.
4th SET: By the fourth set, Wake Forest locked in its game plan on the offensive and defensive sides, putting them ahead early in a 25-18 final to close out the match. The Deacons scored nine of the first 10 points of the game, seizing momentum with a pair of big blocks. The visitors totaled five more blocks in set four, limiting South Carolina to as many kills (eight) as errors.
NOTABLE
- Sophomore Elizabeth McElveen recorded four service aces in the first set of the match. She is the first Gamecock since Aubrey Ezell vs. Ole Miss (11/16/2018) to have as many aces in a single set.
- Wake Forest’s 18 total blocks were the most against South Carolina since Nov. 25, 2022 at Kentucky. It is the most by a non-conference opponent in the modern-scoring era (since 2001).
- The Deacon defense limited South Carolina to a .107 hitting percentage for the afternoon. Of the five attackers with three or more kills in the game, only two finished above a .000 hitting percentage with Alayna Johnson leading the way at .216.
- With 17 kills, Riley Whitesides moved into the program’s all-time top-10 for career kills. She surpassed Ivana Kujundzic (2006-09) and now has 1,144. She also dropped in three service aces to bring her to 81 overall, tying her for ninth-most in the rally-scoring era with Shonda Cole (2003-06).
UP NEXT: The team closes a stretch of seven home games in 11 days with a Tuesday night match against East Carolina. First serve in the Carolina Volleyball Center is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
