TUSCALOOSA, ALA. – South Carolina volleyball closes up a five-game road stretch with two more trips this weekend. The Gamecocks (14-9, 5-7 SEC) play at Alabama (10-13, 3-11 SEC) on Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. ET, then have a road rematch with Tennessee (13-10, 6-7) on Sunday at 2 p.m. on the SEC Network.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE
Alabama is looking to finish its 2024 season strong, riding a five-game home stand to the end of the fall. Last weekend, the Tide defeated Mississippi State in five sets and lost in three to Texas on Sunday, Nov. 17. The offense has turned itself over to a pair of veteran transfers on the pins, Sophie Agee (Mississippi State) and Paris Thompson (Notre Dame) are responsible for half of the Alabama offense, with Agee’s 3.31 kills per set leading the way. Senior libero Francesca Bertucci leads the defense with 4.30 digs per set, fourth-best in the SEC, but Alabama comes into the week ranked last in the conference for opponent hitting percentage allowed.
SCOUTING THE LADY VOLS
Tennessee enters the penultimate weekend of the regular season with a 6-7 record in SEC play and 13-10 overall. In the three weeks since last facing South Carolina (Nov. 3), the team has picked up important wins against LSU and Texas A&M on its home court but most recently gave up a 2-1 set advantage and lost in five sets to Georgia on Nov. 15. The Lady Vols returned just two starters from 2023’s squad that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. The biggest returner is sophomore Caroline Kerr, the setter made AVCA preseason player of the year watch list after earning a spot on the All-SEC team in 2023 following a breakout first year running the offense. Despite losing its top three contributors for kills, Tennessee still ranks 17th nationally for team hitting percentage this fall with a .278 mark.
Like South Carolina, Tennessee turned to Towson University for a key transfer; where the Gamecocks pulled current starting setter Sarah Jordan, the Vols pulled in pin Nina Cajic to fill the gap in production. She currently ranks 8th in the SEC for kills and broke the SEC modern-era record for kills in a match earlier this season with 42 against Western Michigan on Sept. 19. Cajic has been the team’s clear go-to option on offense, accounting for just under 35 percent of the team’s total swings. For as good as the offense has been, the achilles heel for Tennessee is its defense. Entering the week, the team ranks 14th in the SEC for opponent hitting…