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Katie Smith

  • height 5-9
  • class Graduate Student
  • Hometown West Chester, Ohio
  • High school Lakota West
  • height 5-9
  • class Graduate Student
  • Hometown West Chester, Ohio
  • High school Lakota West

Katie Smith Bio

AWARDS/HONORS

  • 2021 AVCA All-American (Second Team)
  • 2016-17 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll
  • 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll
  • 2021 CCSA All-Academic Team
  • 2017 CCSA All-Freshman team
  • 2018, 2019 AVCA Top Flight Honoree
  • CCSA Pair of the Week (3/6/17, 3/27/18)
  • 2017, 2018 USA Volleyball Collegiate Championship Qualifier

2021

  • Leaves South Carolina as the all-time wins leader with 99 overall wins and 95 dual wins. Of those 95 dual wins, 37 came in the top pairing and 58 in the second pairing.
  • Also holds the program’s career records for starts, conference wins and wins over ranked opponents.
  • Her career win percentage of .669 is good for fourth in program history (min. 50 starts).
  • Part of the first pair in program history to earn All-America honors, making the AVCA second team along with teammate Skylar Allen.
  • Went 16-6 overall with Allen, highlighted by a program-record 12-game win streak to end the season. That win streak was highlighted by a 4-0 performance at the postseason conference tournament, which included wins over the number one pairs for No. 3 Florida State and No. 7 TCU. That earned them the AVCA’s National Pair of the Week award, which was also a first for the program.
  • Held a 24-8 record as an individual for the season, with 12 wins against conference rivals and seven wins against ranked opponents.

2020

  • Won five matches with partner Skylar Allen before the season was cut short due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Went 5-7 overall, 0-3 at number one and 5-4 at number two.
  • Four of her five wins came against nationally ranked opponents: No. 16 TCU, No. 4 USC, No. 20 College of Charleston and No. 14 Long Beach State.
  • In the win over Long Beach, she reached 75 career wins overall, making her just the third member in program history to crack the milestone.

2019

  • Teamed with Lydia Dimke at number two and leading the team with 23 total wins.
  • Dimke and Smith also led the team with 10 wins over CCSA rivals and six wins over nationally ranked opponents.
  • Opened the season with wins over No. 7 LSU and No. 3 Florida State, both in straight sets.
  • Reeled off nine wins in a row from March 12 to April 6.
  • Became the fourth Gamecock in program history to reach 70 career wins after taking down Southern Miss at the CCSA tournament.

2018

  • Went 25-10 as an individual, and 22-9 with teammate Cadie Bates (3-3 at No. 1, 16-4 at No. 2). Her 25 individual wins rank fourth in program history for a single season.
  • The pair’s 22 overall wins are third-most in a single season in program history.
  • Went 6-2 against conference opponents with Bates, with seven wins over AVCA top-20 teams.
  • Bates and Smith had signature wins over No. 11 Georgia State, No. 7 LSU, No. 3 Hawai’i and No. 11 Grand Canyon in the regular season, and defeated No. 19 Tulane’s pair of McHugh/Mertz at the conference tournament.
  • Paired with Lydia Dimke and Carly Schnieder in the opening weekend of the season, and went 3-1 with wins over Georgia State, Florida State and FAU.
  • Named the CCSA Pair of the Week on March 27, after wins over FGCU, Hawai’i, TCU and UAB at the team’s Gamecock Challenge Tournament.
  • Qualified for the USA Volleyball Collegiate Championship and made the quarterfinal round with Cadie Bates, going 2-2 overall.

2017

  • Stepped right in to the top of the lineup and went 22-16 for the year, 21-13 in duals.
  • Tied the program record for wins by a freshman.
  • Went 17-9 at the number one position, tops on the team, and was 4-4 in the twos.
  • Recorded five wins over AVCA Top-15 team.
  • Qualified for the USA Volleyball Collegiate Beach Pairs Championship, where she and teammate Dri Culbert advanced to the round of 16 with a 1-3 record.

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB

  • Won the AAU National Championship with Gamecock teammate Carly Schnieder in the summer of 2016.
  • Also won the USA Beach Volleyball National Championship with Schnieder in the summer of ’16.
  • Played club volleyball with Ohio Valley Beach Volleyball Academy for coach Rob Long.
  • Won the U18 club national championship with OVBVA and teammate Carly Schnieder, and was a two-time AVCA High School beach volleyball All-American.
  • Played at setter indoors for coach Tracey Kornau at Lakota West high school, making the sectional finals.

PERSONAL

  • Daughter of Thomas and Judi Smith.
  • Has one brother, Nathan, and her younger sister Jordan is a teammate on the beach team.
  • Majoring in exercise science.