Gamecocks Defeat Coastal Carolina in Five Sets to Earn First Road Win
CONWAY, S.C. – The South Carolina volleyball team (3-1) battled down to the wire at the HTC Center on Wednesday night, defeating Coastal Carolina (1-2) in five sets to return to the win category. The offense provided depth, with four separate Gamecocks reaching double-digit kills. For the fourth consecutive game of the season, Nia Hall and Victoria Hill were the top kill leaders, each recording 17. Alayna Johnson chipped in 13 kills and a career-best seven aces, while Elise Marchal added 10 kills. Johnson’s serving proved especially pivotal, landing back-to-back aces twice in the third set alone.
1st Set: The Gamecocks were able to control the first set, holding the lead for most of the frame. The Chanticleers fought to stay within reach within the first 10 points of the set, but South Carolina was able to extend their lead to 20-14, fueled by a 4-0 scoring and two kills from Hall and three errors from Coastal. It was two kills from Hill and back-to-back aces from Hall that ultimately secured the opening set win at 25-15 for the Gamecocks.
2nd Set: The Chanticleers flipped the script in the second set, going on an early 4-0 run to distance themselves 5-1 from the Gamecocks. The Garnet & Black eventually closed the gap to three, but Coastal Carolina kept its distance, pushing the lead to 12-6. After a long rally that ended in a block from freshman Claire Payne, the Gamecocks again cut the deficit back to three with Coastal leading 16-13. As the score entered the 20s South Carolina was able to get within two points of the Chanticleers, riding on kills from Payne and Hill but the set ended at 25-22 following an ace from Coastal.
3rd Set: South Carolina responded aggressively, storming out to a commanding lead and maintaining a six-plus point cushion throughout. An 8-0 scoring run—the team’s longest of the night—pushed the Gamecocks to 24-9. Despite a brief Coastal rally, Hall delivered a first-ball kill to end the set at 25-13 in dominant fashion.
4th Set: The Chanticleers brought back the energy from the second set, taking off with the lead and continuing to build upon it as the set went on. Twice the Gamecocks closed within two, but the Chanticleers consistently rebuilt the gap. A 3-0 and 2-0 run helped the Gamecocks get to within one point, trailing only 21-20, but the Chanticleers busted out a 4-0 run for the last four points to secure the 25-20 win and force a fifth set.
5th Set: The finale was a nail-biter, with both sides trading points deep into the frame. Coastal surged ahead 14-12 to reach match point, but Hill came through with back-to-back kills to keep the Gamecocks alive at 14-14. The teams continued to trade blows until, tied at 16, a Coastal attack error handed South Carolina match point. Johnson then floated over the decisive kill, clinching the 18-16 victory.
QUOTABLES
“I’m so proud of the fight and belief our team showed on the road tonight,” head coach Sarah Rumely Noble said. “We battled a strong Coastal team and never backed down. To be trailing 12-14 in the fifth set and still find a way to win is amazing and says a lot about our resiliency!”
“Alayna Johnson was outstanding and gave us a huge lift from the service line, really changing the momentum of the match,” Noble commended on the top performers of the night. “Victoria Hill stepped up to lead us offensively in the fifth set with five kills, and it was exciting to see both of them deliver in such big moments!”
NOTABLES
- Hill (.548) and Johnson (.522) hit over.500, both with 10 or more kills apiece
- Four separate Gamecocks had 10 or more kills; Hill (17), Hall (17), Johnson (13) and Marchal (10)
- Johnson set a new career-high in service aces, hitting 7, which leads the team thus far this season
- Hill reached her second double-double of the season with 17 kills and 10 digs
- Three separate Gamecocks had 10 or more digs; Hill (10), Thompson (11) and Harris (19)
- Claire Payne earned her first collegiate kill and tallied three total in tonight’s game
- Victoria Harris led the team in digs for the fourth straight match, tallying a season high 19
UP NEXT: The Gamecocks continue their road stretch this weekend in Tampa, facing Florida State on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 3:00 p.m. before rounding out this week’s competition against USF on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 1:00 p.m.
