South Carolina volleyball is back where it belongs – in the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks are making their fourth appearance in the postseason in the last seven years under head coach Tom Mendoza and have advanced past the first round in two of their previous trips in his tenure. As they prepare to face Dayton (29-2) in Thursday’s first round in Waco, Texas, the Gamecocks are not just happy to be there.
“The SEC continues to get harder every year, so to get the quality wins and put the whole body of work over the last three or four months, I’m really proud of them and excited,” said Mendoza. “It’s a one match season. We’re trying to prep ourselves as best as we can. Playing in the SEC, we get such good preparation for playing against good teams and playing against good players.”
A late season win over nationally ranked Florida to sweep the season series from the Gators helped propel the Gamecocks to the postseason, and the team was overjoyed to hear their name called on Sunday at the selection show.
“That was huge for us to get another top 25 win and to get us to 16 (wins),” Mendoza said. “I thought our body of work was strong enough. We were one of the last regionals announced, so it was getting a little tense, but fortunately it all worked out.”
“It was the best feeling ever,” said graduate outside hitter Riley Whitesides after seeing South Carolina pop up on the bracket. “It was really nerve-racking. We worked so hard this year. It’s a really good way to go out.”
“We’re going to go ball out!” said junior Alayna Johnson. “I think we are a tremendous team.”
While not all of the Gamecocks have played in the postseason before, those who have know what to expect and will help the team stay grounded, especially after a grueling SEC schedule.
“There is always a reason to feel uncomfortable, whether it is showing up for the Garnet and Black for the very first time with the lights on and the fans being there, the first match of the season, the first home match of the season, the first SEC match of the season, or senior night,” Mendoza said. “There is always something that can make you uncomfortable. Hopefully at this point, our players have learned to manage that, so they’ll stay focused. NCAA games do have a different feel. They feel sped up. Having that leadership is huge. Riley, (senior) Oby (Anadi), and (graduate student) Ellie (Ruprich) have all played in an NCAA game before. They’ve been…