Alabama
11-9, 3-6SEC
South Carolina
13-8, 5-4SEC
Volleyball Drops Sunday Road Contest to South Carolina, 3-0
10/27/2019 1:50:00 PM | Volleyball
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Alabama fell in its weekend finale to South Carolina, 3-0, Sunday at the Carolina Volleyball Center.
Alabama (11-9, 3-6 SEC) dropped the first two sets to South Carolina (13-8, 5-4 SEC), 25-15 and 25-14, before making a late push in the third set to try and extend the match. Despite drawing within a point three times down the stretch, the Crimson Tide did not retake the lead as the Gamecocks held on to win, 25-19, and complete the sweep.
Junior Doris Carter led the team in kills for the second-straight match, finishing with 10 along with three block assists. Senior Hayley McSparin led the front-row defense with five blocks, including one solo and four assists. Junior Kaylee Thomas' four digs pushes her closer to the 1,000 mark for her career, now just 60 away.
STAT LEADERS
- Kills – Doris Carter (10)
- Assists – Emily Janek (14)
- Aces – Hailey Peters (2)
- Digs – Doris Carter, Meghan Neelon (5)
- Blocks – Hayley McSparin (5)
SET-BY-SET
- Set One (South Carolina 25, Alabama 15): Alabama scored the first two points of the opening set and South Carolina would fight back to tie the score four times before taking its first lead of the frame at 9-8. A 6-2 run for the Gamecocks after that point gave the home team a 15-10 advantage at the media timeout. A South Carolina kill after the break made it a six-point game, but a kill from sophomore Erin Curl gave the Tide back possession and then back-to-back service aces from redshirt freshman Hailey Peters cut the deficit in half at 16-13. South Carolina pulled back ahead by six and Alabama called a timeout with the score at 19-13. Facing the same deficit later at 21-15, consecutive kills from the Gamecocks made it an eight-point game and the Tide spent its second timeout. South Carolina ended it with two kills after the break to win by ten.
- Set Two (South Carolina 25, Alabama 14): The Gamecocks scored four unanswered to open the set, forcing an early timeout from the Crimson Tide. Alabama would draw as close as two points but South Carolina kept them at arm's length, leading 17-12 at the Tide's second timeout. The Gamecocks closed out the set with an 8-2 run to win, 25-14, and take a 2-0 match lead.
- Set Three (South Carolina 25, Alabama 19): With Alabama leading 3-2 early in the third, South Carolina scored four in a row to take a 6-3 lead and the Tide was again forced to spend an early timeout. The Gamecocks extended their lead to eight points, 15-7, before Alabama cut the deficit in half with four-straight points. After a South Carolina timeout at 15-11, two more points extended the Tide's run to six unanswered and Alabama would eventually draw within a point, down 17-16. The Tide would make it a one-point game two more times down the stretch but could not retake the lead, as the Gamecocks held on to win, 25-19, and complete the sweep.
KEYS TO THE MATCH
- South Carolina hit .440 as a team, the second-highest clip against Alabama this season
- The Gamecocks' offensive efficiency led to the Crimson Tide digging a season-low 27 balls
UP NEXT
Alabama resumes its schedule in seven days, returning to Tuscaloosa to face Ole Miss (14-5, 6-2 SEC) on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. CT.
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaVball on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Volleyball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
