COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball ran its win streak to seven games with four-set victories over Stetson (3-3) and FIU (1-8) on Friday in the Carolina Volleyball Center. The Gamecocks are now on their longest-running win streak since 2018, with veterans Riley Whitesides and Oby Anadi stepping up for big performances in each of the victories.
In the weekend opener against Stetson, the Gamecocks faced a uniquely under-staffed Hatters squad that had injuries to the only two setters on the roster. Both teams needed to adjust to the personnel difference, but Carolina got on the board first with a 25-18 win thanks to a 14-8 advantage in kills and four service aces as a team. In set two, the Gamecock offense had its best performance of the afternoon, racking up 18 kills on a .533 hitting percentage to go up 2-0 with a 25-11 win.
The team mixed in some new faces for the third set and were unable to continue the success from set two, Stetson snapped a streak of 13 sets won in a row by South Carolina with a 25-19 decision that extended the match. In the fourth, the Gamecock defense limited Stetson to just six kills while Riley Whitesides and Oby Anadi accounted for nine of the team’s 14, on the way to a 25-15 decision to clinch the match.
Whitesides led a trio of Gamecocks with double-digit kills in the Stetson win, the fifth-year pin finished with 18. Anadi was close behind with a career-high 13 kills to go with four blocks, and junior Alayna Johnson added 10 kills and five service aces, also a new career high.
In the nightcap against the Panthers, the Gamecocks opened on a heater, winning set one by a 25-7 margin. It was the fewest points allowed by Carolina since 2016 and was fueled by a nearly perfect performance by its offense and defense. The offense hit .625 as a team, with six different players going for multiple kills. Whitesides and Ellie Ruprich each converted all of the attacks into kills, four for Whitesides and three for her classmate. On defense, FIU had as many kills (4) as South Carolina had blocks and the back line finished with a 15-8 advantage in digs.
Set two would follow a similar theme, the Gamecocks got their biggest boost behind the service line this time with a FIU making six service errors and Carolina dropping in two aces. Whitesides and Tireh Smith would lead the offense, though the team needed just 10 kills to secure a 25-17 win and a 2-1 set lead. Similar to the Stetson match earlier, though, the team wasn’t able…