After an impressive 5-3 fall season and an NCAA Tournament win in 2019, Gamecock volleyball returns to the court for its spring regular season. The Gamecocks finished off the fall with a comeback victory over No. 4 Florida, pulling off their highest-ranked win ever.
"Ending on such a big game like that and beating Florida was huge, because I think now that we know that, we know we are capable," sophomore right side Holly Eastridge said. "That will carry onto the court."
The early success is helped by freshman left side Riley Whitesides. She led the squad with 91 kills during the fall, placing her fifth nationally among NCAA freshmen. During that season finale against Florida, she picked up a career-high 23 kills and 3.6 points per set.
“For me, since I’m a freshman, the fall was to see what it was like to play at a Power Five school,” Whitesides said.
Alongside her, graduate left side Kyla Manning and senior middle blocker Mikayla Robinson picked up the bulk of the other kills at 88 and 82 a piece.
Manning came from Coastal Carolina, where she was a two-time first-team All-Sun Belt member. Robinson is a 2018 and 2019 All-SEC team member. In the fall, she hit 33.5% on all attacking attempts.
To set up those points, you need to assist, and graduate setter Mallory Dixon does that. In eight games during the fall, she had 187 assists. Prior to playing for the Gamecocks, Dixon played at the University of Wisconsin. She brings in plenty of big-game experience, winning multiple All-Big Ten honors in her time in Madison.
Everything in volleyball relies upon the defensive specialist, sometimes called the “libero,” and sophomore Camilla Covas is that for the Gamecocks. According to Dixon, the Gamecocks' defense started at the bottom of the league last season.
"I think they took that personally and made a change in the back row and just really went to work," Dixon said.
Freshman middle blocker Ellie Ruprich and Eastridge both named Covas the most improved player on the team. The sophomore has taken a leadership role early in her Gamecock career, impressing all those around her.
“Last semester, she struggled a lot, was on and off the bench. [Head coach Tom Mendoza] threw her in there, and she played her heart out,” Eastridge said. “Even on the court, her attitude is great.”
Meanwhile, Ruprich has developed a key role on the team, helping to score 68.5 of the 482 fall points for the Gamecocks. Eastridge helped score 55 of South Carolina's points, nearly matching her full-season total of 59.5 in 2019.
Mendoza has never missed an NCAA Tournament in his coaching career, and he's won a tournament game both of his seasons at South Carolina.
Last season, the team upset Mountain West champion Colorado State in five sets, giving Colorado State its second loss of the season. In 2018, the team upset national powerhouse Colorado University. The Gamecocks will look to add wins to their NCAA Tournament history in April.
"Our team chemistry was so amazing this year," Eastridge said. "We have so much fun on the court."
South Carolina opens SEC play in Alabama on Jan. 29 at 1 p.m. Its biggest stretch of volleyball is the series at Kentucky and at home against Missouri in late February.
Clarification (Jan. 21, 2021 at 9:40 a.m.): A previous version of this article was unclear about the volleyball team’s games against Colorado State and Colorado University.