Gamecocks Welcome Oklahoma and Arkansas for SEC Home Opener

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina volleyball team (7-5, 0-2 SEC) is slated to host Oklahoma (7-3, 0-1 SEC) and Arkansas (8-4, 0-1 SEC) this weekend for its SEC home opener. The Gamecocks first face the Sooners on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:00 p.m. before rounding out the week against the Razorbacks on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1:00 p.m.

MATCH DAY INFO

Tickets to both matches can be purchased here. Admission for students is free. Both matches will be live scored (StatBroadcast), the Oklahoma match will be live streamed on SEC Network while the Arkansas match will be streamed on SEC Network+; links can be found on the schedule page. Fans can also follow along on social media through @GamecockVolley on X and @GamecockVB on Instagram.

The promotion for Friday’s match against Oklahoma will be White Out; fans are encouraged to wear white and the first 150 to arrive will receive a free Gamecock Volleyball t-shirt. Sunday’s match against Arkansas will have a Block Cancer theme and fans will receive pink rally towels.

LAST WE SAW THEM

The Gamecocks went 0-2 in their SEC opening matches last week, first falling 3-2 to Georgia in a closely fought battle before dropping 3-0 to then-No. 16 Texas A&M.

WEEK SIX NOTABLES

• Three Gamecocks had double digit points against Georgia; Ceci Vance (17 points), Ava Leahy (14.5 points) and Olivia Borgman (15 points).
• Three players also had 10 kills or more against the Bulldogs; Vance (17 – career high), Leahy (11) and Borgman (15).
• Lilly Gillespie led the team with 28 digs against Georgia.
• Jillian Bohannon set a new career high 18 assists against the Bulldogs.
• Sophomore Kiana Dinn led the team with 28 assists against Georgia and 12 assists against the Aggies.
• The team put up 11 blocks against the Georgia, marking the sixth time this season with more than 10 at a match.

SCOUTING THE SOONERS

Oklahoma enters its second SEC match with a 7-3 record after dropping the opening conference matchup against No. 8 Florida 3-0. The Sooners began their season 3-0, defeating Texas State and Louisiana in the Texas State Invitational before picking up a point in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge with a 3-2 win over Ohio State. Losses to Washington and Georgia Tech followed before the Sooners embarked on a four-match win streak that was cut short after the Florida match. Alaleh Tolliver leads the offense with 122 kills (3.30 per set) along with 12 service aces. Tekoa Barnes averages 3.60 kills per set, while Avaya Maga has recorded 436 assists (11.47 per set). Defensively, Elise Hani leads with 28.0 blocks (0.88 per set) and Kinsley Singleton has 93 digs (2.45 per match). Tolliver registered nine kills against Florida while Maga contributed 30 assists and Barnes added 12 digs. The Sooners were predicted to finish 10th in the SEC preseason coaches’ poll. The Gamecocks lead the series record 4-3. The two programs last faced each other last season, with Oklahoma winning 3-1 at home.

SCOUTING THE RAZORBACKS

Arkansas enters its third SEC matchup of the season against South Carolina with an 8-4 overall record and 0-1 conference play after falling five-sets to Auburn in its conference opener. The Razorbacks started the season winning eight of their first 10 matches which included a road win over Syracuse and a 3-0 weekend at the Towson Invitational. Offensively, Lakin Laurendine leads with 101 kills (2.82 per set) while setter Kiki Remensperger has helped direct the offense, accumulating 368 assists over the season so far. Defensively, Madi Benne leads with 128 digs (3.05 per set) while Aleki Alexander leads with 47 blocks (1.34 per set). The Razorbacks were picked to finish 16th in the 2026 SEC preseason coaches’ poll. Arkansas leads the series record 34-15. The two programs last faced each other last season, with South Carolina winning 3-1 on the road.