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._ _ GAME SCHEDULE VOLLEYBALL vs. Arkansas, 7 p.m. Friday . WOMEN'S SOCCER at Arkansas, 7 p.m. Friday I FOOTBALL at Arkansas, 2 p.m. Saturday 1^ I WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING at SEC East meet, Thurs - WOMEN’S SOCCER at LSU, 1 p.m. Sunday . .- -.. ■ - 0 Clemson falls to Lady Gamecocks BY BEN BRYAN THE GAMECOCK The University of South Carolina volleyball team bounced back from a loss to Tennessee over the weekend to defeat the Clemson Tigers on Wednesday night in four games. The 19th-ranked Gamecocks move to 11-2 and have now won two in a row against the 5-9 Tigers. Despite losing the first game of the match, the Gamecocks over came an 0-1 deficit to win 3-1. USC jumped to an early 7-0 lead in game one, but Clemson came back to tie it at 15. Clemson went on to win the first game 30-23. The Gamecocks trailed early in game two, but fought back to tie the game at 21. USC served three times for the game before an ace by Cally Plummer won it 33-31. Clemson jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the third game, but USC rained 10 ue once again, i ne game remained tight until the very end, v with the Gamecocks eventually winning 32-30. Carolina dominated the fourth game, taking a 20-11 lead en route to a 30-16 win. Plummer led the Gamecocks with eight aces, tying the school record she set herself in 1998. Plummer had 15 kills and 14 digs as well. “Cally Plummer was the star tonight. She served them well in the fourth game,” USC head coach Kim Christopher said. “Liz Price, a senior from Columbia, stepped in and really sparked the team. It’s a great story that Liz was the dif ference maker.” Yajaira Cadet matched Plummer’s 15 kills. Megan Hosp led the team with 15 digs, as well as collecting five kills and 55 as sists. Nadia Sefferovich con tributed 12 kills, 8 digs, an ace, a solo block and three block assists. Plummer believes controlling momentum was one of the keys to winning the game. “Rally scoring is all about the ups and downs,” Plummer said. “We might have gotten too up in the first game. Clemson is a very good team. They gave it a good fight.” When asked about her record for aces, Plummer replied, “You get in a zone. You don’t think-you just want to hit the next ball down.” Carolina’s next match will be against conference rival Arkansas at home Friday night. The match will be at 7:00 in the Volleyball Competition Facility. USC has not played at home since its win over Georgia on Sept. 23, and the team seems eager to return to Columbia for the next match with Arkansas. A number of Carolina faithful maae me trip to uemson, anu me team took notice. “We have been on the road a lot this year, and it’s nice our fans came up here tonight to see us win,” Plummer said. With the win, the Gamecocks lead the overall series 27-18. Christopher was happy to get the victory in such a heated rivalry against the Carolina teams. “Clemson did some very good things,” Christopher said. “The Clemson-South Carolina rivalry has grown. It’s the sport that brings out the passion in these two teams. They are both very pas sionate about competing.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail.com. Gamecocks celebrate a victory, photo by media guide. use SOCCER Women’s soccer looks to break losing streak BY PRESTON BAINES THE (JAMECOCK The Lady Gamecocks soccer team heads to the far west of the SEC this weekend as they face the Louisiana State Tigers and the Arkansas Lady Backs. Carolina (5-4-2,0-3 SEC) heads ' to Fayetteville, Ark., Friday night for its first match. USC is trying to break a four-game losing streak with the match against the Hogs. The losing streak followed anoth er, more promising streak to start the season. The Gamecocks had a seven game unbeaten streak to start the season. Arkansas (4-7, 0-2) is the Gamecocks’ ideal opponent to stop the losing streak. The Hogs have had a lot of trouble on de fense this season, allowing 26 goals in 11 games. In comparison, the Gamecocks have only allowed nine goals. Julie Williford will lead the Lady Backs’ attack, she has 42 shots on goal with 15 points (sev en goals, one assist). LSU (7-3-1,1-2) has struggled a bit in conference play after hav ing a good non-conference season against less than stellar competi tion. The Tigers are led by Artie Brown, who has knocked home five goals. The Gamecocks have been strong in the second half this sea son. USC has yet to allow a goal in the second half this season, outscoring their opponents 17-0 in the second frame. The game with the Hogs will be at 7 p.m. while the matchup with the Tigers will be Sunday at 1 p.m. in Baton Rouge, La. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail.com. Men’s soccer to take on Gardner-Webb BY CHRIS FOY THE GAMECOCK The University of South Carolina men’s soccer team (7-2) is looking to get back on track Monday after dropping a 2-1 heart breaker this past weekend to in state rival Clemson. The Gamecocks will face off against Gardner-Webb at the Graveyard after a week of rest for the USC squad. This season’s Gamecock team is led by forward Ryan Daley. The sophomore has scored a team leading 16 points, including the only goal last weekend against the Tigers. Daley has six goals and four assists thus far into the sea son. Junior forward Jordan Quinn has also shot in six goals and has accumulated 15 points for the year. Also contributing for the Gamecocks is senior forward Joey Worthen, who has put in four game-winning goals this season. Through the Gamecocks match with Furman, goalkeeper Michael Bachmeyer had posted 33 saves before giving up two goals last weekend. The Gardner-Webb squad is led by Manny Trujillo, who has a team-high eight points off two goals and four assists. Sergio Lozano has notched in two goals, as has Darnell Carroll. Goalkeeper Rio Oros has made 22 saves this season and is giving up an average of 3.25 goals per game. After Monday’s game with the Runnin’ Bulldogs, the Gamecocks will prepare for the Gamecock Soccer Classic. USC will face off with Maryland and as well as the Rutgers in the tournament. Comments on this story? E-mnii gamecocksports(a)Jiotmail.com. Gamecock Sports Challenge 9 USC AT ARKANSAS 2 MIAMI AT 14FSU 10 WASH AT 7 UCLA 17 PURDUE AT 12 MICHIGAN 22 MARYLAND AT 15 GA TECH ALABAMA AT OLE MISS 16 CLEMSON AT NC STATE Sports Asst.Sports Editor Editor (16-11) (15-12) Sports Columnist (15-12) Defending VieF^rnts Reader of Champion G . the week (5S) I <5S> (16'11» MIAMI ^IIA^Pl ^ ■ SU& a* m 24A £EUu2& £Ebuii& ££&ors* gUpm* ________ , ^—1 , ■■ ________ .- - | 1 Mwi HHU BHH ■Hi !■«■ l I I 1- - (cfl W j#| Lk-1 ’ . . . : I-j, ^ •v USC holds edge over Razorbacks Carolina looks to dominate Arkansas BY ADAM BEAM THE GAMECOCK USC offense vs. Arkansas defense Passing: Senior quarterback Phil Petty is making some noise this season. With 73 completions for 876 yards and seven touch downs, Petty is enjoyifig a rating of 145.0 and increased confidence after last week’s 42-6 rout over Kentucky. He is also the only reg ular quarterback without an in terception in the conference. Petty’s favorite target this sea son has been senior wide receiv er Brian Scott. Scott has 15 catch es for 200 yards and three touch downs, with his most memorable one coming against Georgia to give USC the lead with less than two minutes left. Ryan Brewer is another play er to keep an eye on. In five games this season, Brewer has 16 grabs for 166 yards and one touchdown. Brewer’s hard-nosed style, which earned him Mr. Football honors in his home state of Ohio, has come up big for the Gamecocks on several occa sions. The only thing he hasn’t done is play quarterback. USC has an up-and-coming re ceiver in freshman Matthew Thomas. Thomas has shown the ability to make big plays in pres sure situations, most notably his 32-yard reception against Georgia that set up the winning touchdown. Arkansas would be wise not to underestimate him, as he could play a factor in a close game. The Razorbacks haven’t done a good job in defending the pass. They have allowed seven touch down passes with an average of 185.4 yards per game. Senior safety Ken Hamlin, sophomore linebacker Caleb Miller and sophomore cornerback Lawrence Richardson have com bined for five interceptions for 119 yards, but USC has yet to throw an interception. ADVANTAGE: USC Rushing: The Gamecocks al ways have a threat in junior running back Derek Watson. While Watson has been unreli able the first four games of the season, rushing for a combined 140 yards, he had a breakout game last week versus Kentucky with 16 carries for 135 yards. Watson’s speed and agility give him an advantage running the sweep and on kickoff returns. Look for Watson to have anoth er big game as he tries to prove he can be one of the top backs in the country. Lurking in Watson’s shadow this year has been junior run ning back Andrew Pinnock. His 5-foot-ll, 250-pound frame make him a prime choice for a third and-short run. Pinnock’s aver ono r\f* C O ironrlc nor mr hoc loH to numerous first downs and his team leading six touchdowns. The Razorbacks have given up 922 rushing yards this season - 210 more yards than they have gained. They give up an average of 184.4 yards per game. If Watson and Pinnock play strong, it could be a long day for Arkansas. Hamlin and Miller have combined for 66.6 tackles this season, but only two have re sulted in a loss. ADVANTAGE: USC USC defense vs. Arkansas offense Passing: Arkansas has yet to find a quarterback that can get the job done, with Zak Clark, Ryan Sorahan and Tarvaris Jackson combining to complete only 48.6 percent of their passes for 712 yards with only one touchdown and seven intercep tions. Clark will get the nod on Saturday for his third straight start. Last week versus Weber State, Clark was a mediocre 7-15 for 100 yards with a touchdown and an interception. On the receiving end, Arkansas’ biggest threat is fresh man flanker George Wilson with 19 catches for 277 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore receiv er Richard Smith comes in sec ond with 20 catches for 191 yards. While Arkansas receivers are ca pable of making big plays, they need a quarterback who can han dle the pressure of a top-notch de fense and get them the ball while underpressure. While USC’s defense has been allowing more passing yards, it has limited its opponents to just four touchdown passes and a 9.2 yards per catch average. The Gamecocks have shown an abil itv tn infprrpnt nacQPs whpn thpv need it most, with Andre Goodman leading the team with three picks. With an unsure quarterback in Clark, look for that number to increase Saturday. ADVANTAGE: USC Rushing: Junior running back Fred Talley is coming off an im pressive game against WSU with 17 carries for 135 yards. While Talley tore apart Weber State, he had trouble against UNLV and Tennessee, combining for just 14 yards. Talley will have to step up for the Razorbacks if Clark can’t establish a passing game. The Hogs’ second-leading rusher, Brandon Holmes, is out for the game because of an injury. The Gamecocks have been an enigma on defense this season, giving up huge yardage to their opponents but coming up with huge goal-line stops and blocked field goals. Look for more of the same Saturday, as Arkansas will drive down the field only to be hit hard by Kalimba Edwards anH RflchaH Ffli<;nn in thp rpri zone. ADVANTAGE: USC Special Teams Kicking/Punting: The Gamecocks have finally found a reliable place-kicker in sopho: more Daniel Weaver. After mak ing his first five field goals, Weaver missed last week against Kentucky when his kick hit the goal post. Weaver has shown the ability to remain calm under pressure and get the job done. Junior punter Tyeler Dean has been a consistent punter this season and has set up greatfield position for the defense. Arkansas has also made five field goals and boasts a 41.9-yard punting average. USC is build ing a reputation for their blocked kicks. The Gamecocks have blocked three this season al ready, returning one for a touch down. ADVANTAGE: USC Returning: USC has the dou ble threat of Watson and Brewer on returns, but so far the tandem has not reaped any rewards. The punt returns are especially low, with only six returns for 18 yards. Arkansas, on the other hand, has 12 punt returns for 170 yards, along with 21 kickoff returns for 444 yards. The Gamecocks would be wise to kick it long and deep. ADVANTAGE: ARKANSAS Outlook The Gamecocks should leave Little Rock with a 6-0 record but not without a few gray hairs first. Look for the Razorbacks to threaten early, eating up yards at the start of the game. USC’s battle-tested defense has been known for its slow starts, but Skip Holtz’s offense has been able to compensate for the slow 3iax is uy puLLxxxg pvxixxis uxi me board early. While Nutt is 1(M) at home, the Gamecocks have es tablished themselves as road warriors, beating the Bulldogs of Georgia and Mississippi State on their home turf. And who knows? If the Gamecocks pull off another rous ing defeat, Lou Holtz might ac tually give his team some props ... but don’t hold your breath. FINAL SCORE: USC 35 ARKANSAS 17 Comments on this story?E-mail gamecochsports@hotmail.com.