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Riley Whitesides

  • height 5-11
  • class Graduate Student
  • Hometown Greenville, S.C.
  • High school Mauldin
  • Major Masters in Business Administration
  • height 5-11
  • class Graduate Student
  • Hometown Greenville, S.C.
  • High school Mauldin
  • Major Masters in Business Administration

Riley Whitesides Bio

AWARDS/HONORS

  • 2020-21 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
  • 2021, 2022 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
  • 2023, 2024 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll
  • 2024 CCSA All-Tournament Team

2024 (BEACH)

  • Broke out in her second season in the sand, moving up to the top court by the end of the season and finishing with a 20-15 overall record.
  • Of her 20 wins, nine came on court one, 10 on court two and five came against nationally ranked opponents.
  • Worked her way up to the number one pairing in time for postseason play and earned CCSA All-Tournament team honors after defeating the top pairs from #17 GCU and #10 LSU at the conference tournament.
  • Also picked up ranked wins over #15 Georgia State (twice) and #16 Stetson.

2023 (INDOOR)

  • Finished the season with a personal best 209 digs, ranking second on the team.
  • Led the team in kills 10 times and finished with a team-high six double-doubles.
  • Posted 17 kills and 16 digs in the win over Miami, with nine kills in the fourth and fifth sets (9/1).
  • Reached 1,000 career points in the team’s match at Missouri, making her the fourth Gamecock in the last decade and ninth overall since 2001 to reach that milestone (9/24).
  • Hit .469 with 17 kills in the win over Alabama, also adding 16 digs to match a career high (10/18).
  • Went for a season-high 21 kills and added 15 digs with two aces at Auburn (10/22).
  • With a team-high 15 kills against No. 13 Kentucky on Nov. 3, she surpassed 1,000 career kills. She is just the seventh woman since 2001 to reach 1,000, and only 16 other Gamecocks in the 50-season history of the program have reached the milestone.
  • Missed the team’s games vs. Mississippi State and LSU, returning to play back row only for the team’s final three games of the season.
  • Averaged 3.36 kills per set in her six games against ranked opponents while healthy.

2023 (BEACH)

  • Worked her way into the travel roster, leading the team in starts for the exhibition pair.
  • Made her first start with the beach squad against Southeastern Louisiana, sweeping the Lions with partner Hailey Cabeceiras (3/5).

2022 (INDOOR)

  • Ranked second on the team in kills, averaging 2.65 per set.
  • One of only two members of the program over the last 20 seasons with a reception percentage north of .960 with 700 or more total receptions.
  • Led the team with 15 kills and added eight digs at Wake Forest (9/3).
  • Averaged 4.0 kills per set in the series vs. Cincinnati.
  • Finished with a season-high 16 kills in the win over Florida, including four in the fifth set (9/25).
  • Recorded her first double-double of the season, with 15 kills and 11 digs against Missouri (10/1).
  • Posted a double-double along with 41 serve receptions without being aced in a win vs. Ole Miss (11/6).

2021 (INDOOR)

  • Ranked second on the team with 246 kills, fourth with 164 digs and enjoyed a new career high with 17 service aces.
  • Opened the season with 13 kills, two aces and eight digs in a win over Washington State (8/27).
  • Dropped in a career-high three aces along with 10 kills and a key solo block late in a win over Georgia (9/22).
  • Hit .391 with 13 kills and tied for the team lead with eight digs in a loss to Tennessee (10/9).
  • Led the team with 18 kills and hit .389, also adding 10 digs to help the team upset No. 5 Kentucky (11/4).
  • Took a season-high 41 swings and led the team with 14 kills in a road sweep at Auburn (11/10).
  • Led the team’s offense in the NCAA tournament match against Western Kentucky, finishing with nine kills on a .333 hitting percentage over three sets.

2020-21 (INDOOR)

  • One of three members of the team to play in all 84 sets.
  • Ranked second on the team in kills (261), which stood as the ninth-highest total by a freshman in the country and led all SEC freshmen.
  • Her kill total is the most by a Gamecock freshman in a single conference season during the modern scoring era.
  • Just the fourth member in program history to win three SEC weekly awards in a single season.
  • Made the conference’s postseason all-freshman team, marking just the seventh time in program history a Gamecock made the team.
  • Reached double-digit kills in five of the eight fall matches, starting with 11 kills to go with six digs and six blocks in her collegiate debut at Georgia on Oct. 17.
  • Recorded her first collegiate double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs in a win against Auburn (10/29).
  • Led the team with 32 kills over eight total sets against Florida to help the Gamecocks split their final games of the fall, highlighted by a fall finale where she put down 23 kills on 46 swings with only four errors as South Carolina beat Florida for the first time since 2006 – a span of 24 matches.
  • For her efforts against Florida, she earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 17.
  • Hit .316 with 18 kills and six digs in an upset of No. 25 Missouri (2/27), earning her freshman of the week honors again.
  • Named SEC Freshman of the Week a third time after 27 kills in seven sets vs. Ole Miss (3/6-7).

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB

  • At Mauldin, Whitesides was a three-time All-State honoree and a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year finalist.
  • With her Upward Stars club team, she was recognized individually as a 2015 AAU All-American, an AVCA All-Region member and made the Junior Volleyball Association’s watch list.

PERSONAL

  • Daughter of Heather Justice.
  • Has one brother; John and two sisters; Olivia and Ellis
  • Will pursue a degree in education, with the goal of teaching at the elementary level.