Gamecocks Fall in SEC Opener

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The South Carolina Gamecocks (6-5) went toe-to-toe with No. 3 Kentucky (8-2) on Wednesday night at Memorial Coliseum, battling through long rallies and nearly taking the second set after pushing the Wildcats past 25. Despite the effort, South Carolina fell 3-0 in its conference opener.

Nia Hall led the offense with 15 kills on a .323 hitting percentage while Alayna Johnson added 13 kills. The Gamecocks were narrowly out-killed 44-41 but Kentucky took advantage of 34 combined South Carolina attack and set errors, holding the Gamecocks to a .143 hitting percentage to secure the win.

1st SET: South Carolina hung close with Kentucky early, staying within one behind several long rallies, including a kill from Alayna to make it 7-6. The Wildcats created separation at the media timeout, leading 15-11, and extended the margin to 18-12. Several crucial digs from Victoria Harris kept the Gamecocks alive for a bit longer but Kentucky closed out the frame 25-17 to take the opening set.

2nd SET: The Gamecocks came out strong, using a 6-0 run to grab an 8-3 lead and later pushing the margin to 15-8 after another scoring burst. An ace from Kimmie Thompson made it 18-10, and a solo block by Victoria Hill stretched the lead to 20-13. Kentucky battled back with a 5-0 run to cut it to 20-19, then tied the set at 21-all. After a successful South Carolina challenge, the Gamecocks moved ahead 23-21, but the Wildcats clawed back again. The teams traded points past set point before Kentucky ultimately claimed the frame, 29-27, despite a strong push from Hall and an unsuccessful Wildcat challenge.

3rd SET: Kentucky jumped out to a 7-3 lead, forcing an early South Carolina timeout. Hall delivered back-to-back kills to keep the Gamecocks trailing by three at 10-7, but the Wildcats extended their advantage to 20-12. South Carolina fought off two match points with a kill from Johnson and a block by Elise Marchal and Ava Leahy, but Kentucky sealed the match with a 25-18 win in the third.

Notables 

• For the eighth match of the season, Nia Hall was the top kill leader. She currently leads the team with 142 kills
• Hall tallied the most kills in a three set match this season
• This was the eighth match of the season where there was more than one Gamecock with double digit kills; Hall notched 15 while Alayna Johnson had 13
• Victoria Harris had her fifth consecutive match with double digit digs, recording 15
• The Gamecocks had more aces than the Wildcats, tallying 3 compared to their one
• Sarah Jordan had the most assists on the team with 18

Up Next: The Gamecocks head to Knoxville next, facing No. 22 Tennessee on Friday, Sept. 26 for a 6:30 p.m. match.