COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina lost in three sets to No. 14 Kentucky on Friday night. The Gamecocks (12-7, 3-5 SEC) were slowed by a season-low kill total and a season-high for service aces allowed, giving up 12 to the Wildcats (13-7, 7-2 SEC). Riley Whitesides led the team in kills with 12, while Ellie Ruprich added four kills and a team-high five blocks for the defense.
1st SET: Kentucky would not trail for a single point in the opener, winning 25-18. The Wildcats held the Gamecock offense to a game-low seven kills in total, allowing just 20 attacks over the course of the set. The offense’s issues came from its first contact, with Kentucky posting five service aces and keeping South Carolina out of system for the majority of the set.
2nd SET: The second game had a tighter opening run, but Kentucky used a key run in the mid-game to pull away for a 25-16 win and 2-0 set lead. The teams traded points early, but the Wildcats scored seven unanswered points out of an 11-all tie. The Gamecocks were aced twice in that run, part of five more to push Kentucky’s two-set total to 10. Whitesides accounted for half of the team’s eight kills in the set, but Carolina hurt itself with seven attacking errors – five of which were unforced.
3rd SET: South Carolina was able to generate its best offense of the night in the third, thanks in large part to a great defensive effort. The Gamecocks totaled four blocks and 16 digs in the set, and limited Kentucky’s service pressure. Both sides slugged it out with neither team hitting over .200. South Carolina took a 15-14 lead at the first timeout of the set, thanks to a 5-1 run powered by two Whitesides kills flipped a 13-10 Kentucky advantage. Neither side would lead by more than two points the rest of the way, but a modest 5-2 run by the Wildcats allowed the visitors to get to 20 points first and play sideout defense the rest of the way. Trailing 17-16, Kentucky took advantage of a pair of Gamecock service errors to spark a run that took it to a 21-19 advantage and the home side was unable to draw even again in a 25-22 final score.
NOTABLE
- The team honored 18 alumnae who were in attendance Friday night. The group spanned all six decades of the program, included at least one member of nine of the 10 NCAA tournament teams and seven All-SEC honorees.
- Kentucky entered the night as one of the best serving teams in the nation, and proved that point emphatically. The Wildcats enjoyed a 12-1 advantage in service…