Oct. 9, 2005
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – South Carolina volleyball remains winless in SEC road games as the No. 5 Florida Gators swept USC 30-25, 30-22, 30-17. The Gamecocks fall to 9-7 and 2-4 in the SEC, while Florida is now 16-1 and 6-0. UF’s Kisya Killingsworth led the match with 17 kills and hit .762.Shonda Cole had the most kills for USC but hit a season low .030.
The Gamecocks had three players hit in the negative. For the match, USC had 35 kills and 22 errors to record a .135 average.
“We are still very inconsistent out there. When we work hard and are consistent in our work ethic, it shows in our play,” said head coach Nancy Somera. “We still have a lot to work on but we will get there.”
USC scored 25 points in game one, marking the most the Gamecocks have scored against UF since 2002. That year, USC lost in game two by a margin of three, 27-30. Despite losing by five points, South Carolina played well in the game. The Gamecocks hit .314 with 16 kills and five errors, while UF hit .400 with 21 kills and five errors. USC was able to pull within three points at the 23-26 mark, after a block solo by Cole. USC’s next point again came at the hands of Cole as she produced a kill to keep the three-point span, 24-27. UF eventually pulled ahead and came within game point on a service ace by Rhian Davis. Maria Milosevic kept the game alive for the Gamecocks and posted a kill to make the score 25-29. However, the Gators immediately responded with a point and took the 1-0 lead in the match with the 30-25 win.
In game two, the Gators won the decision 30-22 after collecting 19 kills and hit .471. USC was held to 10 kills and a .088 hitting percentage. South Carolina could not find its groove in the game and Florida was able to take advantage of that. At the break, UF outhit the Gamecocks .432 to .203 and had 40 kills to USC’s 26.
The Gamecocks were unable to recover from too many errors and penalties in game three as the Gators cruised to a 30-17 win. USC hit a paltry -.037 in game three with nine kills and 10 errors. The Gators posted a .385 percentage with 13 kills and only three errors.
The Gamecocks will get another chance to earn a road victory next weekend when they travel to Tuscaloosa and Auburn and take on the Crimson Tide and Tigers.
