The South Carolina volleyball team took advantage of Georgia's errors and matched its defensive prowess to win three of five sets over the Bulldogs in the SEC season opener on Wednesday.
The first set was characterized by good defense, rather than aggressive offense. After seeing the Bulldogs set up deep for spikes, the Gamecocks kills were shallow and more like tips than spikes, throwing Georgia’s positioning out of rhythm.
Freshman outside hitter Lauren McCutcheon and graduate middle back Mikayla Robinson had four kills each in the first set.
While the game was tied throughout the entire first set, Georgia finished 26-24. Its biggest lead was only by three points.
The Gamecocks dominated the second set, keeping a consistent lead and finishing 25-17. McCutcheon had five kills in the second set and Georgia continued to dive for digs.
The Bulldogs were plagued by service errors throughout the third set and a service error from Georgia defensive specialist Mallory Downing allowed the Gamecocks to finish 25-22.
Georgia won the fourth set, pulling away from the Gamecocks on a four-point run in the middle of the set. While Robinson kept the Gamecocks alive, getting five kills in the set, the Bulldogs won 25-17 and scored 15 points on blocks in total.
10 errors from the Bulldogs in the final set allowed the Gamecocks to make easy points and finish 15-7.
Throughout the game, which was also on her birthday, freshman Morgan Carter had a total of 16 digs.
The Gamecocks travel to College Station next to play the Texas A&M Aggies at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.