COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball aims to snap an early season losing streak when it returns to the Carolina Volleyball Center on Friday and Saturday for a two-game series against Cincinnati (1-5). First serve between the Gamecocks (3-3) and Bearcats on Friday will be 5 p.m. and Saturday’s rematch will be at 1 p.m. Both games will be on the SEC Network+.
WEEK TWO NOTABLES
- Through her first four games of the season, junior Ellie Ruprich’s .533 hitting percentage ranks fourth-highest in the nation.
- The Gamecocks failed to record a service ace in the loss at North Carolina; that breaks a 71-game streak with at least one ace that stretches back to Oct. 4, 2019 at Kentucky.
- South Carolina lost at Wake Forest, despite besting the Deacons in Kills, Hitting Percentage and Total Blocks.
- South Carolina finished with 17 service errors at Wake Forest, its most since Sept. 20, 2019 vs. Maryland, a five-set victory. Wake finished with seven aces to six errors, South Carolina four aces to 17 errors – a 14-point difference behind the line.
- Three Gamecocks finished with five or more total blocks at Wake Forest, led by Ellie Ruprich’s seven.
- Dalaney Hans notched a double-double at Wake Forest, leading the team in both digs (15) and assists (27).
- Jenna Hampton finished with 31 digs in the match at Clemson, the most by a Gamecock, Oct. 13, 2019 when Addie Bryant had 35 at Arkansas. Including Bryant, only two other Gamecocks in the last nine seasons have more digs in a match than Hampton.
- Hampton’s 31 digs are tied for the fifth-most by a Gamecock in a five-set match in the rally-scoring era and is a new personal best for the graduate student.
- Lauren McCutcheon’s 19 kills at Clemson are a new personal best; the sophomore entered Tuesday with a career high of 15.
- Clemson’s 15 total blocks is tied for the most by a Carolina opponent dating back to 2014.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Cincinnati enters the weekend with a 1-5 record, but with a resume that already includes two matches against teams ranked in the top 10 nationally and three others who received votes in the top-25 polls. The Bearcats have a well-spread offense with six different attackers with at least 30 kills through the team’s first six games. Leading the way is Abby Walker, who is hitting .311 with 3.04 kills per set out of the middle. Walker also leads the way on defense, averaging just over one block per set. On the back line of the defense, libero Payton Frederick is the digs leader…