March 24, 2004
Columbia, S.C. – Spring training is here and over the next four weeks, the South Carolina volleyball team will come together and work on team building, conditioning and basic playing skills with practice and exhibition tournaments. Training began last week and the Gamecocks will host their first tournament of the season this weekend when Wake Forest, Duke and the College of Charleston come to town.
“This weekend will be a great test for us. We are ready to compete so that we can see how we have progressed as a team,” said head coach Kim Hudson. “Individual training went well and we are now in our second week of spring training.”
USC’s spring training regiment includes weight lifting, conditioning, practice, participating in tournaments and team building exercises a couple of hours a day during the week. The exhibition season will wrap up with another home tournament on April 17. Participating in that tournament will be Winthrop, Charlotte and Team Atlanta. The Gamecocks will also compete in a tournament at Florida in Gainesville on April 3 and one at Wake Forest on April 10. At the Wake Forest tournament, USC will face Elon, James Madison, Charlotte, Wake and the University of Groningen, a Holland volleyball team.
“The players have worked hard in the weight room and on the court. The freshman are doing well in their first spring training,” said Hudson. “They seemed to have learned several lessons from last season and this weekend will be an opportunity for them to begin proving themselves as competitors.”
The Gamecocks return 10 of 12 letterwinners from the 2003 season, including all starters. A young team in the fall, South Carolina is now seasoned and Coach Hudson has noticed maturity and experience in most areas of the team.
“I am happy with how we are progressing offensively. We have gotten better in each position as attackers and blockers. Our weakness is still ball control and it will be for awhile but we are learning fast and progressing at a good pace,” said Hudson.
Among the Gamecocks top returnees include, SEC Co-Freshman of the Year Lynae Vanden Hull, who led the team in kills with 314. Vanden Hull averaged 2.93 kills per game and recorded a .253 hitting percentage. Lauren Ford is USC’s leading blocker as she posted 97 total blocks on the season. In the setter position returns Katelyn Panzau. Panzau finished the season with 1069 assists and is only the fifth freshman in Gamecock history to record 1,000 assists. Shonda Cole and Sarah Morgan also return to the lineup. Cole was second on the team in kills with 279 while Morgan led the team in digs with 264.
Hudson and her staff are excited with what the spring season will bring and she likes the direction the team is headed.
