Sarah Rumely Noble Ready to Take Volleyball Program to New Heights

A new era of Gamecock Volleyball hits the floor this fall as Sarah Rumely Noble begins her first year as head coach in Columbia after spending the previous three years leading the program at Appalachian State.

“I love getting to impact athletes through sport,” Rumely Noble said. “I really figured out who I was in college as an athlete. Getting to be on this side of it, I get to pay it forward and see my athletes figure out who they are. I get to be alongside them when they’re making decisions for what’s next for them, and we get to do it by teaching them life lessons while playing volleyball.”

Rumely Noble is no stranger to the SEC. She was a four-time All-SEC and two-time All-American setter at Kentucky. Prior to her time in Boone, her two most recent coaching stops were as an assistant coach at LSU for five years as well as two years as an assistant at Arkansas.

“When I was playing and coaching in the SEC, I always loved coming to Columbia,” said Rumely Noble, a self-proclaimed “foodie” who loves finding coffee shops and great places to eat dinner. “The gym is hard to play in, and I really felt like this could be a major home court advantage when it’s packed out with fans.”

The Gamecocks return only eight from last year’s squad that reached the NCAA Tournament and will have 10 newcomers.

“The thing we’re talking about early on is what are we chasing?” Rumely Noble said. “We were in the tournament last year, so now can we build upon that? It’s time to chase things that haven’t been done before in this program and take it to new heights.”

Among the key returners is sophomore libero Victoria Harris, who earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors last year.

“She’s a hometown hero from Columbia who chose to come to Carolina and help make this place special,” Rumely Noble said. “She is fun to watch and is a great leader.”

Starting senior setter Sarah Jordan and senior outside hitter Alayna Johnson will also be counted upon for veteran leadership along with senior Tennessee transfer Emily Beeker.

“Emily is high energy and will be a fan favorite by the way she plays,” Rumely Noble said. “We have a whole mix of newcomers who are very athletic and are going to hit the ball hard and will be flying all over the place.”

Adding to the excitement in 2025 is the return of the SEC Tournament after a twenty-year absence.

“Tournament time is just fun,” Rumely Noble said. “It brings a different energy. It will be great to have everyone in the same place. A lot of the athletes know each other as they’ve all crossed paths in the volleyball world.”

Year one can have its bumps, but Rumely Noble has a plan that works.

“It’s about stepping in and establishing relationships early. People matter in this profession. The way you treat people and the way that you coach them matters. We want to set some really high standards. If those are made clear, then we can move forward. That’s what we did on day one. From there, it’s about whether we can execute at a high enough level. You can come to South Carolina, play at the highest level, and compete against the best.

“As we’ve talked with our team, obviously we want to win. I would love to be in the NCAA Tournament. That will always be a goal for what we are chasing. Apart from that, I want to make sure that we’re building this new era of volleyball on the right things.”

The Gamecocks open the 2025 regular season at home on Friday, August, 29 at 6 p.m. on Day 1 of the Gamecock Classic. Click here for the full schedule.