COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball begins its fall 2023 campaign at home this weekend, hosting 2022 NCAA tournament participant Towson (29-2 in 2022) for a two-game series on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 25-26. The season opener in the Carolina Volleyball Center begins at 6 p.m. Friday evening with a rematch at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will air on the SEC Network+ online channel.
The Gamecocks return four starters and 10 players total who saw playing time last season, highlighted by their top two contributors in kills (Lauren McCutcheon and Riley Whitesides), starting setter Claire Wilson and four of the five leading blockers from last fall’s squad.
2022 NOTABLES
- The team’s win over No. 12 Florida on Sept. 25 secured the fifth season in a row with at least one win over a top-25-ranked opponent. It is the longest streak since joining the SEC in 1991; the next closest streak was three years, from 2001-03. The team has eight top-25 wins in head coach Tom Mendoza’s five-year tenure; prior to his arrival in 2018, the program had just nine ranked wins in total in the 26 years since joining the SEC in 1991, going 9-110 (.076) between 1991-2017.
- Head Coach Tom Mendoza notched his 75th win at South Carolina after a win vs. Missouri on Oct. 2. He is the fourth coach in the program’s history to reach that milestone.
- Jenna Hampton earned the Southeastern Conference Libero of the Year Award. She is the first Gamecock to earn the award from the conference’s coaches in program history. Hampton also made the 18-woman All-SEC Team, marking the sixth year in a row for a Gamecock to be recognized on the post-season list but the first time a libero represented the program.
- Rising junior Lauren McCutcheon led the team in kills for the first time in her career, using a late-season surge to finish with a career-high 272 (2.62 kills per set).
- Junior setter Claire Wilson reached 1,000 career assists late in 2022, putting her into the top-10 for most in a career during the rally scoring era. Along with that, Wilson also saw major jumps in her service aces (from seven in 2021 to 24 in 2022) and digs (73 to 131).
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Towson is coming off a 29-2 season with a 15-1 conference record, winning its fourth straight CAA Championship. The Tigers made their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament and earned their highest seed in program history. The team only looks to repeat in 2023, thanks to the return of three hitters who posted 250 or more kills…