IT’S NOT HOW YOU START, IT’S HOW YOU FINISH
Senior Kiune Fletcher ended her junior season with numbers that blew her previous career totals out of the water. In November of 2022, totaling eight matches, Fletcher ranked second on the team in kills (with 65) while still providing valuable blocking numbers on the right pin. That final run improved on her first half of SEC play where she hit .066 with 1.21 kills per set over ten games.
Including her 12 games played so far this fall, Fletcher has already surpassed her stat totals over her last 20 matches that she had in the first 50 matches of her career. The highlight came on Sept. 29, when she hit .410 with a career-high 20 kills on the road at Ole Miss. That single-game total was more than she had for her entire freshman season. Combined with a 14-kill performance against No. 4 Florida on Oct. 1, Fletcher had more kills in the two-game weekend than she had over 22 games in her sophomore campaign.
First 50 games (138 sets)
- 128 kills, 41 digs, 58 blocks, 158.0 points
- 0.92 kills, 0.29 digs, 0.42 blocks and 1.14 points per set
Last 20 games (68 sets)
- 174 kills, 45 digs, 39 blocks, 199.0 points
- 2.56 kills, 0.66 digs, 0.57 blocks and 2.93 points per set
FINDING THE BRIGHT SIDE ON THE RIGHT SIDE
South Carolina’s offense has searched for a go-to attack option on the right-side pin ever since the graduation of all-american Mikayla Shields in 2019. Ironically, Shields is also Fletcher’s cousin. It appears the team has it twofold with the progress of Kiune Fletcher and the emergence of freshman Campbell Paris. Along with Fletcher’s numbers (see above), Paris is averaging 2.02 kills per set in her debut season.
Dating back to Shields’ final season, when she finished with 405 kills as the lone right side, the Gamecocks moved to a two-setter and two-right side offense and have not had a single right side hitter surpass 250 kills since 2019. Currently, Fletcher and Paris are both on pace to reach 200 kills and both are averaging two or more kills per set.
COMPARING WINS AND LOSSES…
- The serve game has been vital. In wins, South Carolina is averaging a full service ace per set more than opponents (1.68 to 0.68). In losses, that ratio is completely flipped, with opponents averaging 1.81 aces per set and the Gamecocks dropping to 0.71. The team is 5-0 when finishing with more aces in a match and just 1-8 when allowing as many or more aces to opponents.
- It was a group effort behind the service line in…