GAINESVILLE, FLA. – South Carolina volleyball picked up its first conference win of the season by shedding a 36-year-old streak, defeating No. 19 Florida on its home court for the first time since 1986 thanks to a straight-set result Sunday afternoon. The Gamecocks (10-5, 1-3 SEC) beat the Gators (11-5, 2-3 SEC) at their own game, dominating the serve-and-pass game to hold the home side to its second-lowest hitting percentage and kill total of the fall. The trio of Oby Anadi, Tireh Smith and Riley Whitesides combined for 30 kills and just five errors to lead the Gamecocks.
1st SET: The Gamecocks used some big energy plays to start the set well, Oby Anadi and Tireh Smith led the effort with a pair of blocks on consecutive points to spark a 4-0 run that pushed Carolina ahead 12-7. The Gator offense chipped away at the deficit with an attack that scored 10 of their first 13 points of the match off kills, compared to just five for the Gamecocks in that same stretch. Florida got its first lead of the set off a block to make it 18-17 and the game would go back-and-forth down the stretch.
South Carolina was able to draw back even at 21 and 23, finally breaking through with three points in a row to capture the 25-23 win. It started with a setter dump from Sarah Jordan to tie the score at 23, then Alayna Johnson tooled the Florida block and Ellie Ruprich cleared a Gator over-pass to clinch it. Florida finished with six more kills and had a hitting percentage advantage (.316 to .216), but were slowed by five service errors compared to zero for the Gamecocks.
2nd SET: South Carolina got another good start in the second, using offensive miscues from the home side to force an early Florida timeout and a 10-5 advantage. The Gators would have more errors than kills for much of the game, thanks to tough service by the Gamecocks that kept Florida’s vaunted offense out of system. The serve game didn’t just pay dividends for South Carolina’s defense, though, easy transitions led to a red-hot offensive performance from the 1-2 punch of Anadi and Whitesides. The middle-pin combo accounted for 11 of the team’s 16 total kills, and South Carolina out-hit Florida .500 to .100 for a 25-14 win and 2-0 set lead.
3rd SET: The momentum would just continue in the third as the Gamecocks jumped at the chance to finish off the Gators in front of a quieted crowd. The South Carolina serving rotation out-aced the conference leader in the category, 3-0, and built a quick…