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I__I —J. -j PHOTO BY SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Niece Curry will be counted on to lead the Gamecocks volleyball team this season. Curry was selected to last year’s first-team All BY BRAD SENKIW THE GAMECOCK If the USC volleyball team hopes to make this year's goal to advance past the second round of the NCAA Tournament, they'll have to do it without sev eral of last season's starters. Missing from the team are three time All-region members Cally Plummer and Megan Hosp, who was also named first-team All SEC and is third all-time in as sists at USC. Fortunately, the Gamecocks return another first-team All SEC member in Niece Curry. Curry, a redshirt junior from Kalamazoo, Mich., was second in the conference in hitting with a .420 percentage. She also led the team in blocks with 114 and kills with 335. She will be joined by the lone senior, outside hit ter Mariana Branquinho. Several players that will have to step into more prominent roles this season are Lynae Vanden Hull, Sarah Morgan and Bridget White. Vanden Hull is a redshirt freshman that spent much of her summer training for this season. Morgan, a sophomore outside hit ter, played in 86 games last year and recorded 180 digs, fourth on the team. Head coach Kim Christopher is in her 11th year at USC and has led the Gamecocks to six NCAA Tournament appearances in the last eight years. Her team was nationally ranked much of last year but lost to Auburn in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Then the Gamecocks advanced to the sec ond round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to North Carolina for the second consecutive season. Christopher had an excellent year recruiting with the signing of Katelyn Panzau, Shonda Cole and Thais Mirela Pedroso. Panzau, from Belleville, 111., spent the summer playing in the Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships in Atlanta. "I am excited about Katelyn and what she can add to our pro gram," Christopher said. "She is still a very young athlete with huge potential for development." Cole, a native of Kings Mountain, N.C., helped lead her high school to the state champi onship last year and was named North Carolina volleyball Gatorade Player of the Year. . "Shonda may be one of the most athletic recruits we have had come into South Carolina," Christopher said. "Shonda will be fim to coach because she has such a high ceiling and is eager to learn." Pedroso, from Sao Bernardo, Brazil, rounds out the incoming class of 2003 and is a member of the Brazilian National Volleyball Team. Christopher will need all the help she can as USC looks to take on a brutal schedule. Carolina will face five teams that were ranked in the top-25 last season. The team opens the season with a tournament at defending national champion Southern California beginning Aug. 29. Carolina then returns home to hold the Carolina Classic on Sept. 5-7 before heading to Clemson on Sept. 9. USC will also host the Gamecock Invitational Sept. 18 20 and open the season at LSU on Sept. 26. USC will also be the host school for the 2003 SEC Volleyball Tournament Nov. 21 24. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com FALL 2003 GAMECOCK TEAM SCHEDULES Men’s golf Sept. 8-9 Cleveland Golf Kiawah Island Invitational at Kiawah Island, S.C. Sept. 13-14 The Ridges Intercollegiate Johnson City.Tenn. Sept. 22-23 Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate Nashville, Tenn. Oct. 3-5 Carpet Capital Collegiate Dalton, Ga. Nov. 3-4 Hawaii/Turtle Bay Intercollegiate Kahuka, Hawaii Men’s soccer Aug. 23 at Virginia, 7:00 p.m. Aug. 29 vs. Boston, 7:00 p.m. Sept. 1 vs. Stetson, 2:00 p.m. Sept. 5 vs. Richmond at Charleston, S.C., 5:00 p.m. Sept. 7 vs. Northwestern at Charleston, S.C., 2:00 p.m. Sept. 12 vs. Jacksonville, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 vs. Alabama A&M, 2:30 p.m. Sept. 21 vs. Appalachian State, 4:00 p.m. at Portland, 2:00 p.m. Sept. 28 at Washington, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at Clemson, 2:00 p.m. Oct. 8 vs. Elon. 7:00 p.m. Oct. 12 Wake Forest, 2:00 p.m. Oct. 15 at Charlotte, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19 at Furman, 2:00 p.m. Oct. 31 Davidson, 7:00 p.m. Nov. 4 Charleston, 7:00 p.m. Nov. 8 North Carolina, 7:00 p.m. Nov. 15 at Florida International, 7:00 PM Equestrian Sept. 27 South Carolina IHSA, Columbia, S.C. Oct. 3 at Georgia Oct. 18-19 Berry College IHSA Rome, Ga. Nov. 24 at Auburn Nov. 8-9 Judson College IHSA Autaguaville, Ala. Women’s soccer Aug. 28 atClemson, 7:00 p.m. Sept. 2 Furman, 7:00 p.m. Sept. 5 Charleston Southern, 7:00 p.m. Sept. 7 Dartmouth, 1:00 p.m. Sept. 12 at Texas A&M, 8:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at Houston, 2:00 p.m. Sept. 17 Davidson, 7:00 p.m. Sept. 21 North Carolina State, 12:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at Wofford, 7:00 p.m. > Sept. 26 at Georgia Southern, 5:00 p.m. Sept. 28 at Liberty, 1:00 p.m. Oct. 3 Auburn, 7:00 p.m. Oct. 5 Alabama, 1:00 p.m. Oct. 10 at Georgia, 7:00 p.m. Oct. 12 at Tennessee, 2:00 p.m. Oct. 17 Vanderbilt, 7:00 p.m. Oct. 19 Kentucky, 1:00 p.m. Oct. 24 at Ole Miss, 8:00 p.m. Oct. 26 at Mississippi State, 2:00 p.m. Nov. 1 Florida, 7:00 p.m. Cross Country Aug. 30 Charlotte Invitational Charlotte, N.C., 9:00 a.m. Sept. 5 USC Invitational, Columbia, S.C., 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 UGA Invitational (A Team) Athens, Ga., 9:00 a.m. Sept: 20 Eagle Invitational (B Team) Rock Hill, S.C., 9:00 a.m. Sept. 26 Great American (ATeam) Cary, N.C., 6:00 p.m. Sept. 27 The Citadel Invitational (B Team) Charleston, S.C., 9:00 p.m. Oct. 18 Clemson Invitational Clemson, S.C., 9:00 a.m. Nov. 3 SEC Championships Athens, Ga., 9:00 a.m. . 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