The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 01, 2004, Page 8, Image 8
Dominant Volunteer defense
stuffs Carolina’s upset hopes
CHARLIE DAVENPORT/THE GAMECOCK
A pair of Tennessee defenders block a kill attempt by USC in Wednesday’s match. The Volunteers swept the Gamecocks in three games.
By MEGAN GIBSON
THE GAMECOCK
It was a tough match Wednesday
night for the Gamecock volleyball team
as it hosted No. 20 Tennessee. The
Lady Vols came into Columbia with an
unblemished SEC record (3-0) and
only one loss for the season (13-1).
They added another win to their total
when they defeated the Gamecocks in
three straight games (30-23, 31-49, 30
14).
“We didn’t play as competitively as I
would have liked,” USC head coach
Kim Hudson said. “We made quite a
few unforced errors.”
In game one, the Gamecocks
struggled to get through the aggressive
Tennessee defense. The Volunteers had
a .429 team kill percentage while
holding Carolina to a much lower .194
percentage. At one point, the
Gamecocks trailed by as many as 11
points before gaining momentum and
narrowing it down to Five. Middle
hitter Lauren Ford (.500 kill
percentage) helped keep South
Carolina alive with quick hits off of
setters Katelyn Panzau and Iris Santos.
However, it was too little too late for
the Gamecocks as they fell to
Tennessee in game one, 23-30.
Game two proved to be as fast-paced
as the first game with scrappy defense
and strategic plays. When the
Gamecocks couldn’t get through the big
Tennessee block, they played smart and
tipped to the open holes on the court.
Neither team led by more than one or
two points, resulting in 17 ties and six
lead changes. Lynae Vanden Hull scored
four kills while Sarah Morgan and
Nicole Miller added two each. The
game came down to the wire when a kill
by Panzau pulled Carolina ahead 29-28.
Unfortunately, the Vols retaliated with a
kill to steal the momentum and pull
away with the heart-breaking win, 31
29.
Carolina couldn’t seem to bounce
back after the disappointment of game
two. Tennessee took the early lead 6-0
before a kill by Morgan put Carolina on
the board. Setting and attacking errors
kept the Gamecocks to a low score
while Tennessee sustained its energy to
easily win the last game 30-14.
. The Gamecocks are now looking
ahead to their game tonight against
Kentucky to improve their SEC record.
“It’s important for this team to be
more competitive,” Hudson said. “We
need to play aggressively.”
South Carolina hosts the Kentucky
Wildcats tonight at 7 p.m. in the
Volleyball Competition Facility. The
Gamecocks are preparing for a tough
opponent.
“They’re a^ood solid team,” Hudson
said. “They’re good defensively and well
rounded offensively. I think it will be a
good match”
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USC to host pair of SEC foes
■ Georgia, Tennessee
to travel to Columbia
for weekend matchups
By STEPHANIE PENDRYS
THE GAMECOCK
. The USC women’s soccer team (6-5,
0-2) returns to Columbia this weekend
for a two-game home stand and the
opportunity to even its SEC record.
The weekend’s competition for USC
gets under way Friday night against the
Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia (2-5-2, 0-2)
arrives in Columbia after falling just
* short against Mississippi State 1-0 in
overtime this past weekend. It has been a
disappointing season for the Bulldogs in
comparison to their successful 2003
campaign. Georgia finished 2003 with a
respectable 13-10 record (4-5 SEC) and
a second-round appearance in the
NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs have
had problems finding the back of the net
— only 11 goals have been scored this
season, giving them a slim 1.2 goals
scored-per-game average.
The team is feeling the loss of
graduated forward Jessica Winton, who
earned first-team honors on the All-SEC
First Team, NSCAA/Adidas All
Southern Region Team and Soccer Buzz
Magazine’s All-Southeast Region Team.
Winton also became the first Georgia
player to lead the SEC in both goals and
points in season, with 16 and 39,
respectively.
Also returning for the Bulldogs this
year is sophomore defender Marilee
' Eback. As a freshman, Eback effectively
anchored the Georgia defense and
earned spots on the All-SEC Freshmen
Team and Soccer Buzz Magazine’s All
Southeast Region honorable mention
squad. She was also named the 2003
UGA/Nike Tournament’s Defensive
Most Valuable Player because of her
efforts.
Friday night’s game will likely be a
display of great defensive skill, with
Eback and USC senior Sarah Lentz, who
was recently named the SEC Defensive
Player of the Week after tallying game
winning goals against Glemson and
Charlotte, each patrolling in front of the
goal boxes. The Gamecocks are hoping
to claim a victory over a Georgia team
that handed USC a 1 -0 defeat in Athens
in 2003. Game time Friday night is 7
p.m.
On Sunday afternoon, the
Gamecocks will square off against the
No. 16 Tennessee Lady Volunteers.
Tennessee (5-2-2, 2-0) just swept
through the state of Mississippi with the
ferocity of a hurricane and gained two
important SEC victories against Ole
Miss and Mississippi State.
The Vols will play the Gamecocks
after a Friday night match in Gainesville
against the No. 8 Florida Gators. In
2003, the Lady Vols captured the SEC
Tournament Championship and took
their NCAA tournament run all the way
to the Sweet 16.
Sunday’s game will be a match
between a veteran Tennessee squad that
is nine seniors strong against a young
and talented USC team with three
seniors and 13 freshmen on the roster.
The Gamecocks will be fueled with
thoughts of payback and are looking to
avenge a pair of close losses to Tennessee
last season. The Lady Vols defeated USC
3-2 in Knoxville during regular-season
action. They were also the victors in a
nail-biter of a first-round game during
the 2003 SEC tournament where they
beat the Gamecocks 1-0 on a penalty
kick goal.
USC will wrap up an up-and-down
first half of the season that included a
win over then No. 7 Clemson, but also
saw the Gamecocks drop their first two
conference games to Auburn and
Alabama. A pair of wins would bring
USC to 2-2 in the SEC.
Kickoff for Sunday’s game is 1 p.m.
at Stone Stadium.
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KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK
Freshman defender Kali Neumann and a teammate go up for a
header in an overtime win against Charlotte earlier this season.
GAMECOCK CHALLENGE
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The Gamecock's readers and
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6 West Virginia at Va. Tech
Arkansas at 16 Florida
15 Purdue at Notre Dame _
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Mississippi State at Vanderbilt
4 Miami at Georgia Tech
Colorado at Missouri
10 California at Oregon St.
USC at Alabama
Jonathan Adam
Hillyard Beam
Sports Editor
editor in chief
(23-13) (26-10)
Va. Tech WVU
Florida Florida
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Georgia Georgia
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Miami_Miami
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14-10 28-21
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WVUVa. Tech
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California Oregon 5
USC Bama
34-31 34-13
Steven Mark
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ts Copy Reader of
editor the week
(29-7) (25-11)
WVU WVU
Florida _Florida _
Purdue Purdue
_Georgia , Georgia
?e Auburn _Auburn
MSU MSU
Miami Miami
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t. California California
Bama USC
21-7 24-7
WANT TO BE READER OF THE WEEK? E-MAIL SELECTIONS FOR NEXT WEEK'S GAMES TO
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What
TO WATCH
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Arkansas at Florida, noon, CBS.
This week we find out if Arkansas is for real.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Purdue at Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. NBC.
Big test for Purdue in South Bend.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: LSU at Georgia, 3:30 p.m. CBS.
2003 SEC Championship game rematch.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: South Carolina at Alabama, 6 p.m. ESPN2
Gamecocks have never won in Tuscaloosa.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Auburn at Tennessee, 7:45 p.m. ESPN
Two SEC unbeaten try to stay that Way.
■ BAMA
Continued from page 7
passing, led by the incredible play of
junior receiver Troy Williamson, who
ranks first in the SEC and third in the
nation in receiving yards, including
four scoring plays of 55 yards or
more. Williamson has caught
touchdowns from both Gamecock
quarterbacks — senior Dondrial
Pinkins, who is expected to start
against Alabama, and sophomore
Syvelle Newton. Both quarterbacks
will play tomorrow, as both have had
flashes of brilliance this season.
Sophomore tailback Demetris
Summers was held out of the wins
against South Florida and Troy, but
he feels good and might play against
the Tide. Summers sprained his ankle
in the game against Georgia, but
Coach Holtz said that the ankle did
not seem to be bothering him in
practice. Carolina’s rushing attack
still averaged 150 yards in the last two
games without Summers.
Carolina’s defense has been a
difference-maker this season,
allowing an average of only nine
points per game and only four
touchdowns through four games.
Freshman Ko Simpson and senior
Jamacia Jackson might cause trouble
for Alabama — ,hey have three
interceptions, two touchdowns and
42 tackles between them. Alabama’s
quarterback situation could force
them to be one-dimensional, as Marc
Guillon is young and inexperienced
and the Tide s top two receivers are
freshmen. If Carolina can continue to
stop the run, Guillon will be forced
to go to the air, where Simpson and
Jackson should be waiting.
The Gamecocks play at Alabama
on Saturday at 6 p.m. The game will
be broadcast on ESPN2.
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■ CRIMSON
Continued from page 7
“Everything was moving in slow
motion to me. And Aaron was like,
‘Man, when you hit that corner, 1 was
amazed. You hit another gear. That’s
something I haven’t seen since I’ve
been out here.’ And I was like, ‘Dang,
it felt like I was moving slow.’”
Johns is the third back in Bama’s
stable, and led the Tide in rushing
against Western Carolina, taking 11
carries for. 86 yards against an
overmatched Catamount defense.
The freshman has only played in two
games but is a legitimate threat if he’s
called on to play.
Off the field, there are a couple of
connections between the Tide and
USC. Alabama running backs coach
Sparky Woods was the head coach of
USC from 1989-1993, leading the
Gamecocks to a 24-23 win over
Tennessee in 1992. However, the
years separating Woods from
Carolina have taken their toll.
“I’m always interested in what’s
going on there,” Woods said in the
Mobile Register. “I check their scores.
But I’m thankful to be working at
Alabama. Since I don’t know the
players, it’s not as interesting to me as
when I was watching the progress of
the players we recruited.”
Shula also has a connection — he
was quarterback of one of the only
Alabama teams to beat Notre Dame,
taking down the Irish in Birmingham
in the mid-’80s while USC head
coach Lou Holtz was at the helm of
the golden domers.
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■ SUMMERS
Continued from page 7
■
break-out season this year.
While many questioned whether
he would receive th^ opportunity
with at least five talented running
backs rotating in and out of the
game this fall, he managed to keep
his cool and quietly lead Carolina in
rushing against Vanderbilt with 11
carries for 87 yards. He even looked
good early in the Georgia game, but
the ankle injury halted his
performance.
Summers did manage to come
back against Georgia and finished
with two rushes for 13 yards,
bringing his total for the season to
an even 100.
Those numbers might have been
bolstered higher if he had played
against lesser competition in South
Florida and Troy, but the coaching
staff made the move to let Summers
rest his ankle.
That move might pay dividends
come Saturday.
Alabama comes in right behind
USC at number three in the lead of
SEC rushing defenses, allowing about
108 yards a game.
If Summers is available Saturday,
he could provide a huge lift for t^c
Carolina offense and give USC an old
weapon at just the right time.
“I’m thinking I can be ready
Saturday for Alabama. That’s mv
goal,” Summers said. “I want to get
back out there real bad."
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■ SERIES
Continued from page 7
make,” he said.
Alabama coach Mike Shula
doesn’t expect South Carolina, with
mostly upperclassmen starting on
offense, to rattle easily.
“They’ve got a lot of experience
coming in here,” Shula said. “They’re
going to be coming in with a lot of
confidence. We’ve got our work cut
out for us.”
Both teams have little margin for
error in the SEC championship hunt
after losing to division rivals
Alabama to Arkansas and South
Carolina to Georgia.
Alabama is coming off it* onJy loss
after three blowout victories, beset by
an anemic passing game led by new
quarterback Marc Guillon and some
additional mistakes on defense and
special teams.
South Carolina has won back-to
back non-conference games but
didn’t exactly dominate in a 17-7 win
over Troy.
“This is an important game for
us, Holtz said. “It’s a very important
game for Alabama as well.”
I—m