Balanced Attack Pushes Gamecocks Past Campbell

COLUMBIA, S.C. –The South Carolina volleyball team (2-0) completed its second straight sweep of the weekend, downing Campbell (1-2) 3-0 Saturday afternoon at the Carolina Volleyball Center. For the second match in a row, Victoria Hill paced the offense with double-digit kills, while setter Kimmie Thompson dished out 18 assists.

“I’m really proud of my team today,” coach Sarah Rumely Noble commented. “We settled into that match and found ways to get our offense better each set. Our serving did a good job to get them out of system and I’m pleased with our overall toughness to close the match out against a good Campbell team.”

1st Set: The opening set was tight early, with the Gamecocks and Camels trading points until Thompson delivered back-to-back service aces to give Carolina an 8-5 lead. The Gamecocks extended their advantage to 19-14 behind kills from Elise Marchal, Alayna Johnson, and Emily Becker, forcing a Campbell timeout. The Camels responded with a 3-0 run to pull within two, but South Carolina closed it out 25-22 behind kills from Hill and Ava Leahy.

2nd Set: The second frame followed a similar script, with neither team gaining much separation until Becker and Johnson combined for a block that sparked a 4-0 Gamecock run. That surge gave South Carolina a 17-13 lead heading into the media timeout. Campbell managed to get within two but was unable to follow through and Hill ultimately put away the set with a kill for a 25-20 win.

3rd Set: South Carolina came out strong in the third, opening on a 4-0 run capped by back-to-back kills from Hill. The Gamecocks built a 10-4 lead and later pushed it to 15-7 at the media timeout thanks to an ace, two kills, and a pair of Camel errors. Hill sealed the sweep with her 11th kill of the match, closing the set 25-16.

NOTABLE

• Victoria Hill had double-digit kills (11) for the second game in a row
• Kimmie Thompson (18) and Sarah Jordan (11) led the team in assists
• Alayna Johnson and Beeker hit over .400 with nine and seven kills respectively

UP NEXT: South Carolina faces Clemson at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31 for the third day of the Gamecock Classic. The Gamecocks are looking to earn a point in the Palmetto Series presented by the SC Education Lottery.