Gamecocks Finalize Additions to 2025 Roster
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball announced the addition of seven student-athletes for the 2025 season. The Gamecocks signed five high school standouts for the fall, and also bring in two transfers that will bolster the roster starting this spring.
- Lina Merz
- 6-2 pin hitter from Dresden, Germany.
- Played at the club level for VC Olympia Dresden since 2020-21.
- Helped her team win the national U20 championship and Vice-Champion at the U18 level in 2022. Her team finished third at this year’s German U20 National Championship.
- Intends to major in International Business.
- Daughter of Gerit and Steffen.
- Has one brother, Jonas.
- Her grandfather was a member of the German National Team in rowing, winning Olympic gold medals at the 1968 and 1972 games.
- Sydney Davis
- 6-0 middle from Orlando, Fla.
- Played at the club level for Gamepoint Volleyball, helping the team to a top finish of 2nd place at the 2021 AAU Nationals.
- Named to the 2023 Junior Volleyball Association’s World Challenge All-Tournament Team, a 2024 Triple Crown tournament Show Stopper and 2024 USA Volleyball Nationals Supernova.
- Attending Timber Creek high school in Orlando, coming off a senior season where she hit .474 with 211 kills.
- Set her high school record for blocks in a season in 2021.
- Florida Athletic Coaches Association 2024 all-state honoree.
- Intends to major in Public Health.
- Daughter of Daryl and Cathy.
- Has one brother, Daryl.
- Her father Daryl is in the UCF athletics hall of fame for basketball, as is her cousin Jermaine Taylor, who also played in the NBA.
- Anne Bradley Bing
- 5-8 defensive specialist from Gastonia, N.C.
- Played at the club level for Stars Volleyball Club, which were two-time Mideast Qualifier champions and two-time Southern Exposure tournament champions.
- Stars made the USA Volleyball National tournament three years in a row and had multiple top finishes in the gold bracket at AAU Nationals.
- Helped Gaston Day School win the North Carolina 2A state championship last month, the second state title of her career.
- Leaves her high school as one of the most well-rounded players in its volleyball program’s history, holding school records for career digs, single-season kills and single-season assists.
- A four-time all-state honoree.
- Intends to major in Public Health.
- Daughter of Derek and Rebekah.
- Has two sisters, Sidney and Emily Charles.
- Payton Whalen
- 6-2 pin hitter from Peoria, Ariz.
- Played at the club level for Revolution Volleyball Academy.
- Led her Centennial High School team in kills as a senior, ranking in the top-25 for the state of Arizona. The team reached the 5A state tournament quarterfinals this fall.
- Daughter of Kevin and Jen.
- Kaia Pixler
- 6-0 setter from Phoenix, Ariz.
- Played at the club level for Arizona Storm Elite VBC, winning four USA Volleyball nationals titles in a five-year span (13s, 14s, 16s and 17s).
- Is a four-year varsity letterwinner at Sunnyslope High School, currently ranked in the top 20 in the state of Arizona for assists.
- First team all-region in 2023.
- Daughter of Chris and Michael.
- Has one brother, Kal.
- Her mother Chris played volleyball at Texas Tech and her father Michael played volleyball at Arizona State and Long Beach State.
The Gamecocks also added a pair of experienced collegiate student-athletes during the winter transfer portal period. Joining the team for the spring semester will be Tennessee transfer Emily Beeker and Butler transfer Laila Ebo. Beeker has one season of eligibility, Ebo has two seasons.
- Emily Beeker
- 6-5 middle blocker from Hendersonville, N.C.
- Spent four seasons at Tennessee, playing in 47 matches.
- Played in 43 sets during the 2024 campaign, totaling 60 kills with a .396 hitting percentage.
- Daughter of Angela and Thomas Beeker.
- Her brother, Ben, played basketball at Carson-Newman and her father played basketball at Mars Hill.
- Laiya Ebo
- 6-1 pin hitter from Washington, D.C.
- Played for two seasons at Butler, highlighted by a 2024 season with 154 kills over 85 sets played.
- Majored in political science at Butler, recently earning a place on the College Sports Communicators’ Academic All-District team.
- Daughter of Milford and Lois Ebo.
- Has two siblings, Mark and Lauren.
- Her brother Mark played football at Holy Cross from 2016-19 and her sister Lauren played college basketball at Penn State, Texas and Notre Dame between 2018 and 2023.
The Gamecocks finished the 2024 season with a 16-12 overall record and a berth in the NCAA tournament. Carolina heads into spring training later this month, for continued updates on the team, follow Gamecockvolley on Twitter and GamecockVB on Instagram.
