Gamecocks Take Down Tigers for Senior Day Victory

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina rode a hot start to a four-set victory over Auburn (14-6, 4-5 SEC) on Sunday afternoon. The one-two punch of Alayna Johnson and Riley Whitesides combined for 31 of the team’s 55 kills in the match, helping the Gamecocks (12-6, 3-4 SEC) avenge a pair of five-set losses to the Tigers last fall.

1st SET: The Gamecocks were clicking right away, opening the game with a 25-19 win behind a 15-9 advantage in kills and a .367 team hitting percentage. Johnson and Whitesides combined for nine of those 15 kills, but all told there would be six different Gamecocks pitching in at least one kill in the opener. Johnson would spark the team from behind the service line early, scoring two aces in an opening 5-1 run that would be extended out to 14-8 before Auburn mounted its comeback effort. The Tigers scored six unanswered points from there to even the score at 14, but Whitesides took her turn as the difference-maker down the stretch to keep the visitors from completing the comeback. Whitesides and Ellie Ruprich teamed up for a block to side out Auburn and give Carolina an 18-17 lead, then she would help serve the Tigers out of sync on offense for three more points and they would not threaten the lead again.

2nd SET: The offense continued to chug along in set two, but the Auburn attack would rebound in a tighter affair. South Carolina had a game-high 17 kills in the set with four different players accounting for three or more kills, but neither side could gain much ground early before a small service run by Victoria Harris turned an 11-all tie into a 15-11 advantage for Carolina. The team was in control from there but almost let the hard work slip away late after an Auburn replay challenged stalled what was called on the floor as the set-clinching point at 25-19. After the review overturned the point in Auburn’s favor, it would turn the momentum shift into a 5-0 run that would knot the score up again at 24. The Gamecocks turned to Whitesides to avoid the upset, she would convert her fourth and fifth kills of the set into the final two points in a 26-24 win.

3rd SET: Auburn quieted the sold-out crowd of the Carolina Volleyball Center with a dominating effort in the third to extend the match. The Tigers used five team blocks to hold the Gamecocks to just eight kills, while their offense hit .480. The first break came off a 5-1 run that ballooned Auburn’s lead to 13-8, then a second run of six unanswered points pushed the lead to 20-11 and the visitors would not look back.

4th SET: The Tigers threatened to send the match to five sets after a strong start to set four, but the combination of Johnson and Whitesides down the stretch made the difference in a 25-20 victory to clinch the match. The Gamecocks were forced into an early timeout after Auburn started the set with an 8-4 lead, they were able to work the score back to a tie at 12 but were unable to push ahead until later in the set. Trailing 16-13, Johnson got the side out with a kill and keyed a 5-0 run where all five points came off kills by either her or Whitesides. That stretch made all the difference, Auburn was not able to tie the score again and Johnson served out the match with a 4-0 run.

NOTABLE

• The team honored its senior class prior to first serve. The Gamecocks recognized their three four-year seniors, Oby Anadi, Morgan Carter and Claire Wilson, as well as fifth-year graduate students Ellie Ruprich and Riley Whitesides.
• South Carolina surpassed its 2023 win total on Sunday, with nine games remaining on the schedule.
• Auburn entered the week ranked first in the SEC for opponent hitting percentage, digs per set and blocks per set. The Tigers won the blocking battle, but the Gamecocks posted more digs and the offense hit over 70 percentage points higher than Auburn had allowed for its season average (.170 vs. .242).
• The Gamecocks were out-hit by Auburn (.274 to .242) but prevailed. It is the first time since Sept. 25, 2022 against Florida that the team was outhit in a win. South Carolina was 0-26 when hitting for a lower percentage since that win over the Gators, before breaking through on Sunday.
• Riley Whitesides’s 16 kills led all hitters and set her a single-season personal best, now at 278 through 18 games. Her previous single-season high was 268 in 2022, but she needed 101 sets and 27 games to get there.
• Alayna Johnson stepped up with big swings, finishing with 15 kills on 36 swings to go with eight digs and two service aces. It is her third game with 15+ kills this season, second in SEC play.
• South Carolina had three individuals with multiple aces, Victoria Harris and Elizabeth McElveen tied Johnson for the team lead with two aces apiece.
• Oby Anadi led the defense with four total blocks. She passed Belita Salters (2005-08) for third place in the rally-scoring era in career solo blocks, now with 66.

QUOTABLE: TOM MENDOZA

UP NEXT: South Carolina’s five-game homestand wraps up next weekend with a pair of matches in the CVC. The team kicks off Homecoming Weekend across campus with a 7 p.m. game against Kentucky for its annual Alumnae Night on Nov. 1, with 15 former Gamecocks coming back to Columbia. The weekend closes on Sunday, Nov. 3 with a 1 p.m. match against Tennessee.