COLUMBIA, S.C. – Gamecock volleyball dropped a tight five-set decision against No. 25 Auburn (14-3, 4-2 SEC) on Sunday afternoon, losing a 2-1 set advantage with each of the three lost sets decided by the minimum two points. Four hitters finished with 10 or more kills for South Carolina (6-8, 0-5 SEC), led by 15 from Kiune Fletcher and Riley Whitesides.
1st SET: The two sides opened with a slugfest in set one, both offenses finished hitting well over .400 with 15 kills for Carolina and 16 for Auburn. The Gamecock built up a 12-9 lead early, but Auburn made the key move to secure the set win, scoring a 7-2 run from there to take a lead it would not give back in a 25-23 victory. Riley Whitesides was the key contributor for the home side, recording six kills in just seven swings.
2nd SET: The Gamecocks responded with a 25-22 win in set two, out-gunning Auburn with a 16-9 kill advantage which helped to negate an incredible eight blocks for the visitors. South Carolina’s back-line defense was strong, finishing with 20 digs in the set thanks to five different players recording multiple digs with libero Morgan Carter’s five leading the effort. In a storyline swap from the first set, Auburn gave up a big run to Carolina that turned a 12-9 Tiger lead into a 20-15 advantage for the Gamecocks. Four different hitters had three or more kills in the set, led by four from Alayna Johnson – which included the game winner.
3rd SET: South Carolina pushed out to a 2-1 set advantage with another 25-22 win in the third. Freshman Campbell Paris would be the offensive leader, converting four kills from five total attacks. The Gamecocks got off to a hot start, leading 7-2 early, and held off a late Tiger rally for the win.
4th SET: Auburn got the fast start in the fourth and were able to hang on for another 25-23 win to force a fifth set. The Tigers opened on a 3-0 run with a pair of aces and carried a 15-12 lead into the first break of the game. South Carolina was able to get back in contention late, using kills from Paris and Oby Anadi to tie the score at 20, but Auburn broke away from a 23-all score with the final two points to stay alive.
5th SET: Another run to open set five made the difference in a 15-13 Auburn win to close the match. The Tigers used a 3-0 run to push ahead 6-3, and held at least a two-point lead the rest of the way. Unforced errors plagued the Gamecock comeback attempt, with a pair of service errors and six attack errors lifting a Tiger…