AUSTIN, TEXAS – South Carolina volleyball begins a stretch of three road games in a row to open October with a matchup at No. 7 Texas (7-3, 2-0 SEC) on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET. It will be the first SEC matchup between the Gamecocks (9-3, 0-1 SEC) and Longhorns in any sport and second meeting overall for volleyball. Coverage can be found on SEC Network+.
This will be the fourth time in program history where the Gamecocks faced the defending national champions from the season prior (Kentucky in 2021, Southern Cal in 2003, Hawaii in 1984). South Carolina has three wins over top-10 opponents dating back to 2020: #8 Tennessee (2023), #5 Kentucky (2021) and #4 Florida (2020).
SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS
Wednesday night is Texas’ first SEC home game on Wednesday, entering the week with a 7-3 overall record and 2-0 mark in conference play after taking down Texas A&M and LSU last weekend on the road. The Longhorns return five starters from the 2023 championship team, highlighted by senior outside hitter Madisen Skinner. The 2023 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and VolleyballMag.com National Player of the Year, Skinner totaled 547 kills last fall and again leads the team this fall with 3.73 kills per set. Texas has three pins with over 100 total points score already through 10 games, with Jenna Wenaas and Kentucky transfer Reagan Rutherford joining Skinner. On defense, Marianna Singletary ranks seventh in the SEC with 1.28 blocks per set through the middle and do-it-all libero Emma Halter ranks fifth in the SEC for aces per set (0.46) and leads the team with 3.81 digs per set.
MENDOZA GOES FOR 100
South Carolina head coach Tom Mendoza sits on the verge of a milestone entering SEC play, coming into Wednesday night with 99 wins with the Gamecocks. He would become the fourth coach in program history to reach the century mark, joining Kim Williams (226 wins from 1993-04), Bonnie Kenny (171, 1984-92) and Scott Swanson (101, 2011-17). Of the 12 coaches in the 51-year history, Mendoza ranks second in conference wins, fourth in road wins and first in wins over ranked opponents.
TRENDING TOPICS
Over the last five matches…
- Oby Anadi has been red-hot in the middle, with 33 kills and a .385 hitting percentage. The senior has 10+ kills and hit .700 or higher in two of the last five games.
- Riley Whitesides leads the offense with 81 kills in the five games (4.50/set) while hitting .274. She has accounted for almost a third of the team’s total attacks…