Riley Whitesides
- position Outside Hitter/left Side
- height 5-11
- class Senior
- Hometown Greenville, S.C.
- High school Mauldin
- Major Psychology
- position Outside Hitter/left Side
- height 5-11
- class Senior
- Hometown Greenville, S.C.
- High school Mauldin
- Major Psychology
Riley Whitesides Bio
AWARDS/HONORS
- SEC All-Freshman Team
- SEC Freshman of the Week (11/17/20, 3/1/21, 3/8/21)
- 2020-21 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
- 2021, 2022 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
2023 (SENIOR)
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2022 (JUNIOR)
- 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 (SOPHOMORE)
- 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 (FRESHMAN)
- 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.