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Riley Whitesides

  • position Outside Hitter/left Side
  • height 5-11
  • class Junior
  • Hometown Greenville, S.C.
  • High school Mauldin
  • Major Masters in Business Administration
  • position Outside Hitter/left Side
  • height 5-11
  • class Junior
  • Hometown Greenville, S.C.
  • High school Mauldin
  • Major Masters in Business Administration

Riley Whitesides Bio

AWARDS/HONORS

  • 2024 First Team All-SEC
  • 2024 AVCA All-Southeast Region Team
  • SEC All-Freshman Team
  • SEC Offensive Player of the Week (9/23)
  • SEC Freshman of the Week (11/17/20, 3/1/21, 3/8/21)
  • 2020-21 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
  • 2021, 2022, 2023 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
  • 2022, 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team

2024 (GRADUATE)

  • Put together one of the best seasons by an attacker in the program’s 51-season history, averaging 4.47 kills per set, ranking her inside the top 20 nationally.
  • In the regular season finale against Texas A&M on Nov. 30, she passed Shonda Cole’s 2005 total of 414 for fifth-most in a single season in the modern scoring era.
  • Her 4.47 kills per set average is second-highest in the program’s all-time history, behind Cole’s 2006 average of 5.95.
  • Was responsible for over 34 percent of the team’s total kills for the entire season, which is the second-highest share of kills in the program’s stat-keeping era (since 1984).
  • Nearly doubled her kill total from 2023 (239) while also hitting almost 60 points higher (.184 in 2023, .241 in 2024).
  • Finished her indoor career ranked in the top 10 for kills (1,452, 5th), attacks (4,007, 3rd), service aces (100, 2nd), digs (920, 9th) and points scored (1,645.0, 4th) for the rally-scoring era (since 2001).
  • A First Team All-SEC honoree, the first All-SEC honoree for South Carolina since 2022 and 24th woman overall to make the conference list since the program joined in 1991.
  • Is the 16th woman in program history to make an AVCA All-Region team.
  • Hit .431 with 18 kills and 15 digs in a three-set sweep of Clemson (9/20).
  • Led the team to a win at Florida, hitting .364 with 14 kills (10/13).
  • Arguably her best night as a Gamecock came when the team needed her most. In the comeback win at LSU on Nov. 13, her’ 30 kills led the team and were the most by any Gamecock against a SEC opponent was Shonda Cole on Oct. 1, 2006 (vs. Alabama). Over a career-high 66 swings, she had just six errors, good for a .364 hitting percentage.

2023 (SENIOR)

  • 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.

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.