Freshman libero Victoria Harris, a Columbia native, has been a star volleyball player since high school. At the University of South Carolina, she continues to be a consistent contributor. She has appeared in all 16 of the Gamecocks' games and recorded 230 total digs — amounting to 4.18 digs per game.
Harris has recorded all this production after suffering a severe injury that ended her high school career and changed her outlook on transitioning to college.
She played high school volleyball at Cardinal Newman High School, where she had over 1,300 digs and 1,400 service receptions and won two state championships. She made two All-State teams and one All-Region team, in addition to being named an Under Armour NEXT MVP and the 2021 SCISA Player of the Year.
Harris said her Player of the Year Honor served as both a "pretty cool" moment and a turning point for her career.
“It was really cool because I think that was just a really big year for me, personally,” Harris said. “I think that was the first time I learned to have that leadership role and kind of not necessarily be in a spotlight, but be looked to as a leader.”
Sophomore outside hitter Tireh Smith, who competed against Harris at the high school level, praised Harris for the leadership she showed at an early age.
"She was there covering everything. She was all around the court. Since she did get injured, she hasn't stopped any of that," Smith said. "She really takes charge of the back row and front row ... Taking charge of the back row is basically what she does, and she does a really good job."
Harris continued leading her team until she suffered a torn ACL on Sept. 26, 2023, which occurred roughly eight games into the season. The injury prompted her to decide whether she wanted to graduate from high school early, a decision she ultimately made.
“Once I went down, I looked back on the previous three years of high school ... I've been SGA President. I've been a part of student council. I've been on HoCo court, and all these things that I wanted to be, all I wanted to do. And I went to prom my junior year. I really had achieved everything that I wanted to do in high school," Harris said. “December rolled around, and I thought about it, long-term wise, it makes sense for me to try to go ahead and get a step up and start college early.”
Harris said her next step was figuring out where she would like to spend her collegiate volleyball career. She originally was not set on becoming a Gamecock — in part because she had stricter parents who wished to keep her close to home. She is the youngest of six and thought that going to a college far from home would allow her to experience college to its fullest extent.
But Harris eventually changed her mind, deciding that being close to home was the best fit for her. A volleyball camp she attended at USC prior to commitment, which allowed her to observe the atmosphere surrounding the team, factored into her decision, she said.
"(Senior middle blocker) Oby (Anadi) was there, (senior libero) Morgan (Carter) was there (and) Tireh was there," Harris said. "I actually have a picture with all of them from when I was at camp my junior year, so it's kind of surreal to be teammates with them now."
Harris added that she didn't realize at the time what playing near her family would mean to her.
"Not a lot of people get to be hometown kids, so I never really thought about that. I didn't really consider it. I really didn't think about how big of a deal it was until my senior year," Harris said. "When I got here, and then as the season has progressively gone on, it's finally starting to click with me why it's such a big deal."
Carter was also recovering from an injury alongside Harris in the spring last year and was impressed with the work she put in on and off the court.
"It's also been amazing to see all the hard work that she's put in because of the setbacks. She's on her stuff, doing rehab, making sure her schoolwork is done (and) putting those extra reps in," Carter said. "It's just amazing to see the transition (from) not being able to play at all ... cheering on our teammates, and now she's on the court cheering her teammates on."
As she neared a return to the court, Harris said she relied on her faith to persevere through the spring.
"It definitely was tough. I haven't had an injury that has kept me out more than four weeks, so not being able to play the sport that I've played since I was 6 was really, really hard," Harris said. "But I think just really keeping strong with my faith in God and knowing he had a greater plan for me, that whatever is for me is for me, and whatever's not isn't."
Harris did eventually make a full recovery and made her return to the court in South Carolina's first match of the season, which took place on Aug. 30 against No. 13 Kansas. She recorded 10 digs along, along with six service aces, in what would be a 3-0 loss against the Jayhawks.
Harris said she recognizes that she is "not 100% yet," but as the season goes along, she aims to improve as she adjusts to playing at the college level.
"My main goal is to be the best I can be every single day that I walk into the gym and to really be the best me," Harris said.