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The Gamecocks Women's Volleyball team kicked off their season at home this past weekend with a bang, sweeping the Gamecock Invitational where they faced off against South Carolina State, High Pointe, and Florida International. In three games the Gamecocks did not drop a single set, and lead the majority of the tournament; although there were multiple lead changes in the finals against High Point. Their most impressive victory came on Friday against SC State where the team won 25-14, 25-9, and 25-13.
The hot hands of USC continued into Saturday where the women beat Florida International in two sets, and carried the momentum into the finals against High Point where the team posted victories of 25-18, 25-17, and 25-21.
Statistically, the Gamecocks held High Point to a .095 hitting average, and finished with five players landing 5 or more kills. Senior Juliette Thevenin had a monster weekend and was named Tournament MVP for her accomplishments, which included a 20 kill outing against FIU. In the finals she finished with seven kills, five assists and four digs. Sophomore Kellie McNiel also stole the spotlight by posting 25 assists in the finals. During his post tournament interview, head coach Scott Swanson stated that...
I like our potential a lot...We're in the mode of letting the other team hurt themselves...I'm excited that we're buying into that.
The Lady Gamecocks travel to Clemson for the Big Orange Bash next weekend where the team will face off against the Tigers, Furman, and Winthrop. You can read more about the accomplishments of the volley ball team here and watch highlights of the finals match here.