Gamecocks put unbeaten record on line
Volleyball coach Scott Swanson has made his expectations of his players abundantly clear to them throughout the season.
“You go out there and compete your butt off for however long it takes and see what happens,” Swanson said. “We’re just trying to preach to our kids, ‘Do the best you can, and if you walk away and that best wasn’t good enough, you still have to hold your head up high.’”
This past weekend against undefeated Missouri, the Gamecocks were swept 3–0. In search of its first conference win of the season, South Carolina then traveled to Tennessee — a place where the Gamecocks had been held winless since 2002.South Carolina held its own Sunday and toppled Tennessee 3-1 in a win that Swanson called the highlight of his coaching stint at South Carolina.
The Gamecocks (9-5, 1-1 SEC) are now facing a unique opportunity to bolt out to a fast start in the SEC. The next four matches on South Carolina’s schedule are at home, where the Gamecocks are 6–0 this season. Arkansas (9-4, 2-0 SEC) and perennial powerhouse Texas A&M (9-3, 1-0 SEC) are next in line to take on South Carolina this week.
“They’re both extremely athletic and talented,” Swanson said. “They have more experience at a couple positions than we do, but they also have a couple new faces. I expect two really challenging matches. I think we have a little better shot against Arkansas than we do against Texas A&M from what I’ve seen on tape. You never know once they get in our gym.”
The Gamecocks will face Arkansas at home this Friday at 7 p.m. The Razorbacks opened up SEC play with two 3-0 wins over Ole Miss and Mississippi State this past weekend. The last time Arkansas came to Columbia, the Gamecocks took a five–set decision to end the regular season. Arkansas then went on to make a brief appearance in the NCAA Tournament only to fall to Wichita State.
Texas A&M enters the clash with South Carolina with three losses — all to ranked opponents (No. 15 Iowa State, No. 7 Michigan, No. 22 Colorado State). The Aggies bested South Carolina twice last season, beating them handily 3-0 each time.
The Gamecocks could benefit from a worn-down Texas A&M team that will come to Columbia Sunday at 1 p.m. after facing No. 3 Florida on Friday. This is the Aggies’ first SEC weekend on the road this season.
“They’re both very good teams in the SEC,” sophomore Darian Dozier said. “I expect them to be better than Tennessee is. I also think they’re very beatable teams. If we keep putting together new things like we have been in practice, and go all out like we have nothing to lose, we’ll do pretty well.”
With the next four matches at home, Dozier realizes that the Gamecocks find themselves in a rather advantageous position.
“Home court advantage is a huge thing for us,” Dozier said. “Having your fans there cheering for you instead of [opposing fans] cheering against you and taunting you while serving is a huge advantage. When people come and cheer us on, it’s awesome.”