Volleyball Falls 3-2 to ETSU Tuesday Night
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The South Carolina Volleyball team (6-3, 0-0 SEC) narrowly fell to ETSU (2-7, 0-0 SoCon) on Tuesday night in Brooks Gymnasium.
Despite a strong balanced attack, with four players notching 10 or more kills and four earning double-doubles, several attack errors proved to be costly.
1st SET: South Carolina began the opening set with a slow start, trailing 5-2 early in the frame due to a couple errors and aces from the Buccaneers. The Gamecocks quickly shook off the start, tying up the score at 6-6 after freshman Ella Grivna’s second kill of the season and an ace from Ava Leahy. The Gamecocks then took the lead and pushed it to 8-6 after back-to-back blocks from Grivna paired with Ceci Vance and Kiana Dinn. A 3-0 run fueled by three consecutive blocks from a combo of Grivna, Marchal and Vance extended the Gamecocks’ lead to 12-7, forcing an ETSU timeout. The Gamecocks maintained their lead briefly, but a 4-0 scoring run from the Buccaneers cut the deficit to one, leading 16-15. ETSU stayed within one, taking advantage of Gamecock errors, eventually tying it all up 19-19. The Gamecocks continued to struggle offensively, as back-to-back attack errors pushed ETSU to lead 22-19. South Carolina clawed back to reclaim the lead and reach match point, 24-23, after a kill from Grivna and two attack errors from ETSU. The teams continued to battle it out, moving into extra points, but the Gamecocks managed to take the opening set win 27-25.
2nd SET: ETSU took the first point of the set before the Gamecocks hit the gas, going on a 5-0 run after a combo of blocks and kills from Leahy, Marchal and Borgman to take a 5-1 lead. ETSU responded with four straight kills, cutting the lead to one and eventually tying it up 6-6. The teams exchanged points before the Gamecocks started to create a gap again following a 4-0 run, pushing the lead to 11-7. South Carolina held a three-point cushion, but a 3-0 run from the Buccaneers ties the score back up 14-14. It continued to be an offensive battle, with teams trading kills, before ETSU crept to its first lead of the set at 20-18 after a 3-0 run. The Buccaneers continued to hold onto their lead, reaching set point at 24-19, and eventually closing out the set at 25-20 to even out the match 1-1.
3rd SET: The first four points of the set were due to errors, in favor of the Gamecocks, as they jumped to an early 3-1 lead. South Carolina maintained its lead by a couple points due to errors, a kill from Ally Cavanaugh and a solo block from Grivna before ETSU managed to tie it up 11-11. The Buccaneers pushed to lead, 14-12, off of a 3-0 run due to a Gamecock error, an ace and a kill, before South Carolina tied it back up 14-14. The teams continued trading points, with ETSU controlling the set, holding at least a one-point deficit over the Gamecocks. Tied at 20-20, back-to-back kills got ETSU a two-point lead and forced a Gamecock timeout. ETSU reached set point at 24-21 before Leahy spoiled it with her eighth kill of the night. Borgman helped tie up the score 24-24, with back-to-back kills, but ETSU took advantage of a Gamecock attack error and kill to win the set 26-24 and take a 2-1 edge.
4th SET: A 3-0 run fueled by three straight kills, one from Grivna and two consecutive from Borgman, got the Gamecocks to an early 3-1 lead. South Carolina built upon the momentum, going on a run that included two consecutive aces and a kill from Borgman, to extend its lead to 9-4 and force an ETSU timeout. The Buccaneers tried to fight back but the Gamecocks maintained control, supported by an ace from Lilly Gillespie, back-to-back blocks from Grivna and Marchal and a kill from Cavanaugh to push lead to 18-14. Despite a comeback attempt from the Buccaneers, three more kills from Vance helped the team force a fifth set, winning the fourth 25-23.
5th SET: The Gamecocks and Buccaneers battled through a back-and-forth fifth set, with neither team able to create more than a two-point cushion. South Carolina held a 10-7 advantage before ETSU rallied to tie it at 10-10. The Gamecocks then reached match point at 14-11, but two kills from the Buccaneers and two South Carolina attack errors tied up the score 14-14. Leahy answered with a kill to give South Carolina a 15-14 edge, but ETSU responded with back-to-back kills to close out the set, 17-15, and the match.
Notables
- Ceci Vance and Olivia Borgman led with 15 kills apiece, with Vance tying her career high. Ava Leahy and Elise Marchal had 12 and 10, respectively.
- Kiana Dinn passed out a career high 43 assists.
- Four players had double-doubles; Vance (15 kills and 11 digs), Borgman (15 kills and 13 digs), Marchal ( 10 kills and 11 digs) and Dinn (43 assists and 13 digs).
- Freshman Ella Grivna had a breakout match, recording 10 blocks and six kills.
- Lilly Gillespie led the backline with 19 digs.
Up Next: The Gamecocks wrap up non-conference play at home on Friday, Sept. 18 at 6:00 p.m. against Virginia Tech.
