Gamecocks Fall to Alabama

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina volleyball team (7-10, 1-7 SEC) fell 3-0 to Alabama (10-8, 2-6) on Sunday afternoon in the Carolina Volleyball Center. Despite a strong late push in the third set, the Gamecocks were unable to complete the comeback as the Crimson Tide took the match with set scores of 25-15, 25-14, and 25-23.

1st SET: In the opening frame, the teams traded points early before Alabama gained a slight edge at 6-4. The Gamecocks tied it back up at 6-all after a pair of Tide attack errors, but Alabama slowly built momentum midway through the set. A 8-0 scoring run extended the Tide’s lead to 23-13, and despite a late kill from Ava Leahy to end the run, Alabama held on to take the first set 25-15.

2nd SET: The Tide carried that momentum into the second, racing out to a 9-0 start before a service error finally got South Carolina on the board. A kill from Leahy sparked some energy for the Gamecocks and led a 4-0 run that included a solo block from Phoebe Reyes, a block from Leahy and Laiya Ebo and a kill from Ebo to cut the deficit to 15-8. Sydney Floyd added a late spark with her first collegiate career kill, but Alabama secured the frame 25-14 to take a 2-0 match lead.

3rd SET: South Carolina bounced back early in the third, taking the first two points before Alabama regained control at 4-2. The Gamecocks stayed within striking distance throughout, fueled by kills from Claire Payne, Leahy, and Reyes. Down 22-16, South Carolina mounted a late rally with a 4-1 run behind three kills from Emily Beeker and one from Leahy, forcing an Alabama timeout. A block from Nia Hall and Beeker, followed by a Hall kill, brought the Gamecocks within one at 23-22, but the Tide held on to close out the set 25-23 and complete the sweep.

Notables 

• Sydney Floyd had her first kill of the season, as well as contributing four assists and two digs
• Emily Beeker led offensively with seven kills, Nia Hall and Ava Leahy following close behind with six apiece
• Beeker led the team with a .500 hitting percentage
• Victoria Harris backed the defense with 14 digs

Up Next: The Gamecocks attend their second to last road trip of the regular season next week, facing Missouri on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7:00 p.m. (ET) before heading to Vanderbilt for a 2:00 p.m. (ET) first serve on Sunday, Oct. 26.