Gamecocks Knock Off No. 25 UNC in Hard Fought Battle

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina volleyball team (4-4) took down its first ranked opponent of the season at home in a gritty win, taking down No. 25 North Carolina (5-1) 3-2 Friday night.

The Gamecocks narrowly lost the first set by two but were able to storm back in a dominant second set that set the tone for the remainder of the match. Victoria Harris came in clutch with eight pivotal digs while Nia Hall and Victoria Hill tapped in with four kills each to hold UNC to a .097 hitting percentage and contribute towards a .387 of their own.

For the fifth match of the season, Hall paced the offense with 18 kills closely followed by Hill with 17. For every single match so far this season, Harris has led the defense – continuing her streak tonight with a team leading 22 digs. The sophomore also provided some support to the offense with three assists. Emily Beeker had a dominant night for the second consecutive game, contributing eight kills and seven digs at crucial moments in the match.

1st SET: The Tarheels claimed set one 25-23, despite the Gamecocks hitting 0.216 with 15 kills. UNC started out in front while South Carolina following closely behind throughout the set, with the Tarheels largest lead being held at six points. The Gamecocks closed the gap late in the set with a 4-point run led by a kill from Ava Leahy and two from Victoria Hill, bringing it to 23-24 before the North Carolina offense brought down the closing kill.

2nd SET: The Gamecocks came back strong with a 4-0 scoring run backed by two kills from Elise Marchal, a kill from Hill and a kill from Leahy to jump to a 4-1 edge. South Carolina was then able to capitalize on back-to-back attack errors from the Tar Heels and back-to-back blocks from Leahy and Marchal to string together a 6-0 run and push the lead to 18-9. A 3-0 run from the Gamecocks pushed the team to flirt with set point at 21-10 but the Tar Heels responded in the same way to try and stay alive. Ultimately another attack error from the Tar Heels gave the Gamecocks their first set win of the match at 25-16.

3rd SET: Both teams began the set on early runs before tying it at 3-all. The Gamecocks then moved ahead to establish a lead they maintained for the remainder of the set. Hall and Hill both came in with back-to-back kills to lengthen the lead to 16-11. Emily Beeker stepped up with three consecutive big plays, two kills and a block to secure a 20-13 edge. UNC came back to produce two more 3-point runs before South Carolina shut them down at 21 points. Hill delivered the final blow to end the set with her 14th kill of the match, giving South Carolina a 2-1 match lead after a 25-21 finish.

4th SET: The fourth set started with the teams going back and forth, only allowing a two-point differential for the first 15 points. UNC then managed a 3-0 run to increase their lead to 20-15 before Johnson retaliated with her sixth and seventh kill of the night to have the Gamecocks trailing 21-17. South Carolina attempted to capitalize on a couple UNC errors, but the Tar Heels closed out the set 25-20, tying the match 2-2 and pushing the Gamecocks into a fifth set.

5th SET: The Gamecocks went on a 4-0 scoring run early in the set that ended with a block from Leahy and Marchal to push South Carolina ahead 6-2. The Tarheels bridged the gap after a 4-0 run to tie it at 10-all before a South Carolina timeout concluded with the Gamecocks in the lead again. The lead would change two more times before South Carolina came out victorious, courtesy of a block from Leahy and Hall.

Quotables

“I’m so proud of my team,” head coach Sarah Rumley Noble exclaimed. “They believed and battled all night long and stuck to the game plan! I want to give a big shoutout to Gamecock Nation! The energy in the CVC was electric and made an impact on the match for sure!”

Notables 

• This victory marks Sarah Rumely Noble’s first top 25 win as a head coach
• The last time the Gamecocks defeated a ranked team was 3-2 victory on Nov. 27, 2024, against No. 18 Florida
• Ava Leahy reached a season high and team leading 8 blocks
• The Gamecocks smashed their previous season high 10 total team blocks after earning 16 tonight, largely thanks to Leahy (8), Beeker (7) and Marchal (7)
• Gamecock depth was on display, with two players apiece earn double-digit kills, digs and assists

Up Next: The Gamecocks remain home for their next match, hosting Wofford at the Carolina Volleyball Center on Monday, Sept. 15 at 7:00 p.m.