South Carolina Falls to Oklahoma in SEC Home Opener

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina volleyball team (7-6, 0-3 SEC) fell 3-1 to Oklahoma (8-3, 1-1 SEC) in its SEC home opener. 

1st SET: The Sooners opened up the set 2-0 before the Gamecocks responded with two consecutive points from an Olivia Borgman kill and a block by Ava Leahy and Borgman. Oklahoma then pushed to a 9-5 lead after a three point run, stopped by a service error.. The Sooners maintained control throughout the middle of the set, extending their lead to 15-9 going into the media timeout. South Carolina struggled to gain momentum back, and despite late kills from Ally Cavanaugh and Sydney Davis, Oklahoma ultimately won the set 25-16, taking the 1–0 advantage. 

2nd SET: South Carolina flipped the switch and opened on a 3-0 run after an Oklahoma error, Elise Marchal kill and service ace before a service error got the Sooners on the board. Despite Oklahoma coming within one, the Gamecocks held on, pushing to a 9-6 lead following Ceci Vance and Borgman kills. Back-to-back kills by the Sooners and a pair of Gamecock errors pushed Oklahoma into the lead and forced a South Carolina timeout. The teams continued to battle, trading points and leads in the middle of the set, before a Vance kill put the Gamecocks back in the lead 15-14 and forced an Oklahoma timeout. South Carolina began to struggle slightly, as three consecutive Oklahoma kills had the Gamecocks trailing 20-16. South Carolina responded dominantly with a 7-0 run led by kills from Borgman and Leahy, putting them back in the lead 23-21. Another Borgman kill and a solo block from Kiana Dinn secured the Gamecock win 25-23, evening the match score 1-1. 

3rd SET: The Gamecocks attempted to carry the momentum into the third set, pulling away early after a 4-0 run with a Leahy kill and block from Borgman and Leahy, making the score 7-3 early. Oklahoma fought back, going on a 5-0 run and taking the lead by one after four straight kills, forcing a South Carolina timeout. The Sooners continued to push their lead, going on a 4-0 run before Borgman spoiled the run with a kill. The Gamecocks fought their way back, coming within one by taking advantage of an Oklahoma service error and a kill from Davis. Four late kills by Borgman, Leahy, Dinn and Vance tightened the score, but the Sooners took advantage of Gamecock errors, closing the set 25-21 and extending their lead to 2-0 in the match.

4th SET: Oklahoma pulled away early in the fourth set, building a 8-2 lead before South Carolina responded with a kill from Vance. The Gamecocks struggled to stay in it and the Sooners stayed in control for the rest of the set. Despite South Carolina’s late 4-0 run with kills from Marchal and Leahy, the Sooners took the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-1. 

Up Next: The Gamecocks continue SEC play at home against Arkansas on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1:00 p.m.

Notables 

• Kiana Dinn had a season high with four blocks, including three total blocks  in set two.
• Lilly Gillespie led the team with 22 digs, only one short of her season high.
• Ceci Vance and Olivia Borgman both led the Gamecocks with nine kills.
• Dinn also led the team with 25 assists. 
• Five Gamecocks finished with a service ace with Elise Marchal and Maggie Penn leading with two.