The South Carolina volleyball team went 3-0 for the second consecutive weekend, claiming the Carolina Classic and extending its longest winning streak in two years to seven games.
This weekend’s performance was the Gamecocks’ latest effort to distance them from a disappointing 2013 season ahead of SEC play, which begins Friday.
At 10-2, South Carolina is just two wins from matching its win total from a year ago. However, its three wins in conference play in 2013 show that the toughest stretch of the schedule is yet to come. That being said, Scott Swanson sees greater production and potential out of this year’s team.
“We do some things at the net that we just didn’t do in the past,” Swanson said. “I think we have a lot of good servers on our team and that’s what helps us be a better blocking and defending team.”
Sandwiched between sweeps of Norfolk State and The Citadel this weekend was a five-set thriller against Eastern Kentucky (10-6).
Trailing two sets to one and tied in the fourth, South Carolina put together a 13-7 run to force a decisive fifth set.
Leading 8-6 in the fifth, Swanson experienced another chapter in the continuing growth of his young impact players. Sophomore outside hitter KoKo Atoa-Williams tallied three kills and sophomore middle back Jacqy Angermiller added two more as part of a match-ending 7-0 run.
Angermiller was particularly valuable on the defensive front as she recorded 11 block assists, which is tied for the second-most in a five-set match in program history.
Freshman outside hitter Taylr McNeil recorded her second career double-double in the come-from-behind victory with 15 kills and 12 digs. McNeil said that the win tested and ultimately proved her team’s resiliency.
“Eastern Kentucky is an amazing team,” McNeil said. “They were digging up balls that a lot of teams haven’t been. It’s probably been one of toughest teams that we’ve seen. Our team really kept pushing and we weren’t going to let them win.”
The Gamecocks came out Saturday and made quick work of The Citadel in a match that barely made it past the one-hour mark. Swanson said the key to Saturday’s victory was taking the time to regain focus and re-emphasize his team’s strategy following the marathon against the Colonels.
“We talked about being who we want to be and not worrying so much about the other side of the net,” Swanson said. “I think we’re getting closer and closer to being ready for conference play.”
McNeil had 44 kills over the weekend, raising her season total to a team-high 160. The freshman is one of three Gamecocks to play in every set this season, along with Atoa-Williams and senior libero Mikaela Christiaansen, who was named the Carolina Classic’s Most Valuable Player.
As South Carolina prepares for conference play, the team figures to continue to rely on McNeil to fill the void left by Juliette Thevenin.
Although expectations are quickly soaring for the freshman, Swanson is simply enjoying McNeil’s consistent production.
“She’s got a lot of responsibility, we give her the most sets to hit so I’m awful proud of how she performs on a regular basis,” Swanson said. “She’s our go-to hitter.”
Looming in South Carolina’s conference opener is Ole Miss, who will enter Friday’s match at a perfect 14-0.
Tactical plans to defeat the Rebels aside, McNeil stressed that the team will need to play with confidence if it is to take down its SEC foes. A 3-0 weekend with a five-set victory thrown in should help that.
“We talked about this in preseason and we were hoping for a really good turnout before SEC play,” McNeil said. “I think it brings a lot of confidence for our team.”