Women's Volleyball . October 13, 2024

Gamecocks Snap Streak With Three-Set Romp Over No. 19 Florida

Game #1

GAINESVILLE, FLA. – South Carolina volleyball picked up its first conference win of the season by shedding a 36-year-old streak, defeating No. 19 Florida on its home court for the first time since 1986 thanks to a straight-set result Sunday afternoon. The Gamecocks (10-5, 1-3 SEC) beat the Gators (11-5, 2-3 SEC) at their own game, dominating the serve-and-pass game to hold the home side to its second-lowest hitting percentage and kill total of the fall. The trio of Oby Anadi, Tireh Smith and Riley Whitesides combined for 30 kills and just five errors to lead the Gamecocks.

1st SET: The Gamecocks used some big energy plays to start the set well, Oby Anadi and Tireh Smith led the effort with a pair of blocks on consecutive points to spark a 4-0 run that pushed Carolina ahead 12-7. The Gator offense chipped away at the deficit with an attack that scored 10 of their first 13 points of the match off kills, compared to just five for the Gamecocks in that same stretch. Florida got its first lead of the set off a block to make it 18-17 and the game would go back-and-forth down the stretch.

South Carolina was able to draw back even at 21 and 23, finally breaking through with three points in a row to capture the 25-23 win. It started with a setter dump from Sarah Jordan to tie the score at 23, then Alayna Johnson tooled the Florida block and Ellie Ruprich cleared a Gator over-pass to clinch it. Florida finished with six more kills and had a hitting percentage advantage (.316 to .216), but were slowed by five service errors compared to zero for the Gamecocks.

2nd SET: South Carolina got another good start in the second, using offensive miscues from the home side to force an early Florida timeout and a 10-5 advantage. The Gators would have more errors than kills for much of the game, thanks to tough service by the Gamecocks that kept Florida’s vaunted offense out of system. The serve game didn’t just pay dividends for South Carolina’s defense, though, easy transitions led to a red-hot offensive performance from the 1-2 punch of Anadi and Whitesides. The middle-pin combo accounted for 11 of the team’s 16 total kills, and South Carolina out-hit Florida .500 to .100 for a 25-14 win and 2-0 set lead.

3rd SET: The momentum would just continue in the third as the Gamecocks jumped at the chance to finish off the Gators in front of a quieted crowd. The South Carolina serving rotation out-aced the conference leader in the category, 3-0, and built a quick 12-6 lead on the way to a wire-to-wire 25-18 win. Smith shouldered the load on offense, recording six of her eight total kills in set three while not making a single error on 10 swings and also chipping in two blocks.

NOTABLE

Since joining the SEC in 1991, South Carolina had just two SET wins at Florida. The Gamecocks were 2-32 in Gainesville entering Sunday since the all-time series started in 1984, with the last win coming on Oct. 18, 1986.
The Gamecocks had not won a true road match against a nationally ranked opponent since Sept. 14, 2003 (#14 Notre Dame, 3-1). The team has never swept a ranked opponent in a true road match in the SEC era (since 1991).
The win was head coach Tom Mendoza’s 100th at the helm of South Carolina. He is the fourth coach in program history to reach the century mark, joining Kim Williams (226 wins from 1993-04), Bonnie Kenny (171, 1984-92) and Scott Swanson (101, 2011-17). Of the 12 coaches in the 51-year history, Mendoza ranks second in conference wins, fourth in road wins and first in wins over ranked opponents.
The victory marked the seventh season in a row where South Carolina defeated a ranked opponent, extending the longest streak since joining the SEC in 1991. The Gamecocks have 10 wins over ranked opponents since head coach Tom Mendoza was hired in 2018. The program had just nine ranked wins total in the 27 seasons prior to his arrival (1991-2017).
After posting four kills in the first set, Riley Whitesides passed Amy Iannoccari (1991-94) and moved into seventh in program history for most all-time, now with 1,242.
Whitesides continues to be a thorn in the Gators’ side. Since arriving to South Carolina in 2020, the Greenville native has been a leading factor in three wins over Florida. Prior to her arrival, the Gamecocks had just two wins in the 55 meetings over 28 years since joining the SEC (1991-2019). She had 23 kills as a freshman in the team’s win in 2020, had 16 kills in a five-set win in 2022 and hit .364 with 14 kills on Sunday.
Anadi had her best game of the year as a two-way threat, matching her season-high with six blocks and adding eight kills on a .500 hitting percentage. The senior now has five games this season with 8+ kills and a hitting percentage at or better than .500.
After enjoying a breakout game late last season at Florida, Tireh Smith had another big day on Sunday. The sophomore had eight kills, hit .412 and added six blocks, she now is averaging 2.87 kills per set with a .341 hitting percentage through the team’s first four SEC matches.
Florida entered the weekend ranked fifth nationally for highest team hitting percentage, at .300, but were held to a .218 mark with 18 attacking errors compared to .300 and 11 errors for the Gamecocks.
The Gators also were the top-serving team in the SEC with a league-leading 2.13 aces per set, but were held to two on Sunday while also committing seven more service errors than South Carolina (9-2), which finished with five aces.

QUOTABLE: TOM MENDOZA

UP NEXT: After three-straight conference matches on the road, the Gamecocks will now settle in for five home matches in a row over the next three weekends. The action resumes on Friday, Oct. 18 with a 7 p.m. match against Ole Miss, then welcomes Oklahoma for the first time as SEC rivals on Sunday, Oct. 20.