Gamecocks Fall to Florida State in First Road Loss of the Season
TAMPA, Fla. – The South Carolina Volleyball team (3-2) was handed its first road loss of the season on Saturday afternoon, falling 3-0 to Florida State (3-1) at The Corral on USF’s campus. The Gamecocks battled to set point in a tightly contested first opening set but came up just short, loosing by two. From there, South Carolina struggled to maintain momentum as the Seminoles controlled the rest of the match. Florida State limited the Gamecocks to a .098 hitting percentage while committing just eight errors compared to South Carolina’s 24, with the match ultimately ending on a Gamecock error.
Nia Hall and Alayna Johnson paced the attack with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Victoria Harris anchored the defense with a team-high 12 digs—six more than any other Gamecock.
1st Set: The opening set was a back and forth battle, with both teams trading points early before South Carolina pulled ahead to 8-5 behind a 4-0 and 2-0 surge. Florida State responded quickly, capitalizing on a Gamecock error and a block to even the score at 8-8, and the teams continued to trade leads. Tied again at 10-10, the Seminoles went on a 4-0 run to bump them to 14-10, the largest lead of the set at the time. The Gamecocks answered with energy, fueled by three straight kills from Nia Hall as part of a 4-0 burst that evened things at 15-15. Another 4-0 run, highlighted by two more kills from Hall, pushed South Carolina back in front 20-16. Florida State battled back to trim the margin to one, but the Gamecocks reached set point at 24-23. The Seminoles spoiled it with a kill, then closed on a 3-0 run to steal the opener, 26-24.
2nd Set: The Gamecocks got off to a slow start in the second set as Florida State opened on a 5-0 run to build a 6-1 advantage. Ava Leahy stopped the surge with a quick kill, but the Seminoles answered immediately and stretched the margin to 8-2. South Carolina worked to chip away, but each time the Garnet & Black found a point, Florida State countered to keep the lead comfortable. The Seminoles eventually pushed their advantage to 11 at 23-12, but the Gamecocks showed fight late, piecing together a 3-0 run to close the gap to 23-15. FSU responded with a kill to reach set point, and after a long rally that nearly went South Carolina’s way, a final error handed the Seminoles the 25-15 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
3rd Set: Florida State once again jumped ahead early, using three straight kills from three different players to build a 4-1 lead. The Seminoles extended the margin to 8-3 before South Carolina responded, capitalizing on a service error and a clutch ace from freshman Anne Bradley Bing—the first of her collegiate career—to pull within 8-5. The Gamecocks hung close for a stretch, but a decisive 6-0 Seminole run created separation and set the tone. Florida State controlled the rest of the frame, closing it out 25-16 to complete the sweep.
Notables
- Nia Hall hit double-digit kills for the fourth game of the season, leading the team with 13
- Hall also had 10 kills in the first set and hit .588
- Alayna Johnson had the first kill for the Gamecocks of all three sets
- Anne Bradley Bing hit her first collegiate ace
Up Next: The Gamecocks round out their time in Florida facing USF on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 1:00 p.m. Fans can stream the match on ESPN+.
