South-Carolina
Volleyball Exorcize Blue Devils to Cap Opening Weekend
DURHAM, N.C. – A strong two-way effort helped Gamecock volleyball end the opening weekend of the season with a win, taking down Duke (1-2) in four sets to cap the three-day tournament in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Riley Whitesides led the offense with a career-high 23 kills and the defensive duo of Victoria Harris and Elizabeth McElveen combined for 40 digs to key the team.
1st SET: The Gamecocks (2-1) took the opening game by a 25-18 score, a credit to clean play on offense and defense. The offense committed just two errors over 37 attacks and finished with 15 kills, led by Riley Whitesides’ six. Duke trailed 15-8 at the first break of the set, but rallied to score a 5-1 run out of the break and would cut the deficit back to one point, 17-16, before South Carolina pulled away for good. The Gamecocks scored a 5-1 run of their own out of their called timeout, aided by kills from Whitesides, Alayna Johnson and Ellie Ruprich, along with two service errors from Duke. Errors behind the service line would be the key for the entire set, as the Blue Devils committed four compared to zero for Carolina, negating almost identical offensive numbers for the two sides.
2nd SET: The home side jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the second and were able to hold the Gamecocks off late to take a 28-26 decision that evened the match. South Carolina was able to tie the score at 9-9 but was never able to push ahead. Duke set up set point with a kill to make it 24-21, but Whitesides would not let her side go quietly. She strung together a kill, a block and a kill in successive points to tie the score at 24-all. The Blue Devils had set-point chances at 25-24 and 26-25 that were also denied, but final were able to close out a must-win game for them. Duke was able to terminate on offense in the win, scoring 23 of its 28 points off kills, compared to just 14 for South Carolina.
3rd SET: The Gamecock defense answered the call after Duke’s strong offensive showing in the third, Oby Anadi had her strongest set of the afternoon and energized the team in a 25-18 win. The key run came midway through the set, when South Carolina broke out of a 14-all tie with four unanswered points, including a pair of kills from Alayna Johnson. The trio of Whitesides, Anadi and Johnson accounted for all 13 of the team’s kills, and Anadi sparked the defense with a pair of loud solo blocks. Behind her, Harris and McElveen totaled 18 of the team’s 23 digs to help hold Duke to a team hitting percentage of .045 and just 10 kills. To put it into perspective, McElveen’s 11 digs in set three was almost as many as she had over 31 sets as a freshman in 2023.
4th SET: South Carolina closed out the win with a 25-21 win in the fourth. There were eight ties in the first 20 points of the set, but a 4-0 run for the Gamecocks broke an 8-8 tie and the team never looked back. The defense held Duke’s offense to under .200 again for hitting percentage, while the combination of Johnson and Whitesides carried the load with 23 of the team’s 37 total attacks and nine kills.
NOTABLE
- Riley Whitesides matched her career high for kills, set previously over five sets against Florida on 11/12/20. It is her third career 20-kill game.
- Victoria Harris led the defense with 23 digs, the most by a Gamecock freshman since Taylr McNeil on Sept. 6, 2014 (23 vs. Furman)
- Elizabeth McElveen shattered her career high for digs, popping up 17 in the win. Her previous high was seven, against Kansas in the season opener. McElveen had 13 digs total in her freshman season (31 sets).
- Sarah Jordan enjoyed her best game of the weekend, passing out 46 assists and adding 14 digs, one block, two kills and a service ace.
- After allowing 23 kills to Duke in the second set alone, South Carolina’s defense limited the Blue Devils to just 25 kills combined in the final two sets.
- Efficiency behind the service line was a key stat on Sunday; both teams had just one service ace but Duke committed 10 more errors (13-3).
- This is South Carolina’s fourth win all-time at Duke, in a series spanning 19 games and 46 years.
QUOTABLE: TOM MENDOZA
Reflecting on the opening weekend
“We’ve played well at home so to be able to go back to the CVC 2-1, we’re excited to be home. We knew going into this weekend, three wins would be a dream. We were capable of it, but it would be the dream scenario, 2-1 would still be great because of the strength of the four teams that were here. Long term, it’s two good resume wins as we try to build the case for postseason and try to build that season-long resume, but short term for our team to be able to draw upon these and know we’re good enough to beat good teams.
I don’t think we were perfect, but we were good enough on two of the three days and that’s a good thing for us to build on and gives our team confidence. Starting from Friday to today, we thought we were more and more confident that we were going to come up out on the positive end of tight sets and tight matches and that’s invaluable as you go through the season.”
On the team’s defense making adjustments in-game
“The defense was awesome. Until you play other teams it’s hard to know how good your defense is and that was a really pleasant surprise. Not that I didn’t think our players were capable of it, but to see the plays that they were making consistently is what you want to give yourself a chance to win. The fact that we could match teams, especially as scrappy as Duke, is a great thing to be able to draw upon as we go through the season.”
UP NEXT: The team returns home and will host matches next weekend, welcoming Temple and North Carolina to the Carolina Volleyball Center. The Gamecocks open against the Owls at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6 and then end the weekend with a 2 p.m. match against the Tar Heels on Sunday, Sept. 8. South Carolina last played Temple in August of 2012, and Sunday’s game will be the first time North Carolina has visited Columbia since 2004. Both matches will air on the SEC Network+.
Sooners On SI will break down Oklahoma’s 2026 schedule, opponent by opponent, for a series dubbed “Know Your Foe.” You can look forward to an opponent breakdown each day. Catch up by checking out the preview for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Former Oklahoma assistant coach Shane Beamer finds himself on shaky ground heading into 2026. This is a make-or-break year for Beamer, whose South Carolina squad retained a great deal of talent while also adding some exciting names.
For Beamer, it could very well come down to how his team performs in his second game in Norman as an opposing head coach.
How the Sooners enter their third consecutive matchup with the Gamecocks could very well tell us how the rest of the 2026 season is going to go. South Carolina is banking on experience to extend Beamer’s future.
How will the Sooners fare against the Gamecocks? But first, some history.
Past Battles
South Carolina has been sort of a spotlight game for Oklahoma in their initial two seasons in the SEC.
In 2024, following their second loss of the season, the Sooners returned to Norman with their sights set on rebounding with a win to set up a strong finish. Those hopes were dashed immediately when the Gamecocks scored 21 points in the blink of an eye, leading to a comfortable victory. OU’s season would not rebound.
2025 saw the Sooners in a similar spot. After losing their first game of the season to Texas, OU traveled to Columbia for the first time ever hoping to rebound. They didjust that—setting them up to have an opportunity for a strong finish.
Returning Starters
The dynamic LaNorris Sellers returned to Columbia despite rumors speculating that he may try and find greener pastures elsewhere. This was more than good news for Beamer. Sellers’ big play ability keeps defensive coordinators up at night.
Wide receiver Nyck Harbor followed suit by returning to South Carolina as well. Harbor gives Sellers and the USC offense a gamebreaking factor that pairs well with Sellers’ capabilities. Last year, Harbor scored six touchdowns and had three games of 100 or more yards receiving.
Edge rusher Dylan Stewart—who OU was able to avoid last year following a hip injury sustained early in the first quarter—also announced he would return for a final season of college ball. At 6-6, 250 pounds, Stewart projects as one of the more talented defensive players in the country.
New Faces
With 25 new players via the transfer portal, Beamer left no stone unturned to try and right the wrongs of 2025.
After sitting out the last two seasons due to injuries and some legal trouble, Jayden Gibson landed in Columbia to attempt to revive his career. When he was healthy in 2023, Gibson proved to be a valuable pass catcher with his size and hands.
Big 6-5 tight end Max Drag chose to play for the Gamecocks following a career jumping from Appalachin State to UCF. Drag was primarily used as a blocker, which bodes well for USC’s QB-run oriented attack.
Linebacker Kelby Collins came in from Alabama. In a rotational role, Collins earned two sacks and three tackles for loss last year. Oklahoma saw Collins twice in 2025.
Key Departures
Edge rusher Byrant Thomas Jr. entered the draft, taking away USC’s one-two punch at defensive end. Thomas’ blend of size and speed made him a force on the defensive line for South Carolina.
Big play pass catcher Vandrevious Jacobs took his 17 yards per catch talents to South Beach to play for the Miami Hurricanes.
Tight end Michael Smith was on his way to a promising start of his Gamecock career following a solid true freshman outing in 2024, but was limited last season due to injuries.
Schedule Placement
For OU, the back half of their schedule begins after hosting USC. With two tough home games bookended by two tough road games, Oklahoma’s matchup with the Gamecocks could prove pivotal for how the rest of the season goes.
If the Sooners navigated their initial brutal three games of Michigan, Georgia and Texas well, then by the time they’ve made it to late October, the Gamecocks should only serve to provide Oklahoma as a final open-book test sort of matchup.
But if OU goes 1-2 or worse in those initial three games, then the Sooners may be fighting for their season’s very life hosting the Gamecocks.
USC finds OU on the crucible section of their schedule. The Gamecocks travel to Knoxville the week before Norman, only to then play Texas A&M, Arkansas, Georgia and Clemson.
South Carolina women’s basketball starting guard Tessa Johnson was not listed on the injury report Feb. 28 for the Gamecocks’ final regular-season game at Kentucky.
Johnson was practicing on Feb. 27 after missing the 112-71 win over Missouri, but coach Dawn Staley wouldn’t confirm her status for the next game.
No. 3 South Carolina (28-2, 14-1) travels to play No. 18 Kentucky (21-8, 8-7 SEC) on March 1 (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network) to close the regular season.
South Carolina called it an “upper body contusion” on social media not long after she was listed as out on the SEC injury report that published an hour before tipoff vs Missouri.
Staley joked that media would post on social media that Johnson was practicing with the starters, setting the tone that she isn’t hiding the latest on Johnson’s health.
Johnson is a junior guard averaging 13.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. She leads the SEC in 3-point shooting at 45.5%, which is also eighth in the nation.
Johnson struggled in her two most recent games. She went combined 2-of-13 for six points against Alabama and Ole Miss, just after going 8-of-13 for 21 points against LSU.
Staley said sophomore reserve post/center Adhel Tac is day to day dealing with a lower leg injury. Tac hasn’t played since Feb. 5. She’s still using a medical scooter to move around and has been sitting out practices. She was listed as out again vs Kentucky.
Tessa Johnson injury update, status for Kentucky
The Wildcats have talented guards who can score and defend, in addition to post players like 6-foot-5 center Clara Strack, who averages 16.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. Tonie Morgan scores 14.4 points and dishes a nation-high 8.3 assists a game.
Johnson is third in the nation in 3-point shooting at 45.5%. By posing a threat behind the arc, players like Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot get more action in the paint.
Raven Johnson hit a career-high four 3-pointers against Missouri and Maddy McDaniel drained two, but there’s no denying how much Johnson elevates the offense.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
BLUFFTON, S.C. – Kentucky men’s golf begins the month of March at the Colleton River Collegiate this Sunday and Monday at Colleton River Club (par 72, 7403 yards).
UK joins a 15-team field for the 54-hole event, which will consist of 36 holes of continuous play on Sunday, followed by 18 holes on Monday. An 8 a.m. shotgun start will kick things off on Sunday, while Monday’s final round will begin with another shotgun start, this time at 7:45 a.m.
UK is paired with Indiana, Kansas State and Ohio State for the first day of play.
The Wildcats will utilize the same starting five, albeit in a different order, as was featured at the Watersound Invitational just two weeks ago. There, the Cats finished seventh in a loaded field and found themselves as high as third place during the final nine holes.
Sophomore Jacob Settles had the best showing of his collegiate career, finishing tied for seventh at 5-under par, while senior captain Jack Schoenberger had his highest finish of the season, placing tied for 14th at 2-under.
Jacob Lang, Luke Coyle and Cole Stockard will complete UK’s starting five alongside Settles and Schoenberger, the fourth time in six events the Wildcats have featured this starting unit.
Freshman Cameron Phillips will tee it up as an individual once again after an impressive showing in the same role at the Watersound where he tied for 29th and had two rounds under par.
Fans can follow along with live scoring on the Scoreboard Powered by Clippd website.
Kentucky Lineup:
- Jack Schoenberger: Senior, Alpharetta, Ga
- Jacob Lang: Sophomore, Alvaton, Ky.
- Jacob Settles: Sophomore, Winchester, Ky
- Luke Coyle: Junior, Campbellsville, Ky.
- Cole Stockard: Freshman, Dalton, Ga.
Ind. Cameron Phillips: Freshman, Portsmouth, Ohio
Competing Schools (15): Chattanooga, Cincinnati, ETSU, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers
For the latest on UK Men’s Golf follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram @UKmensgolf, and online at ukathletics.com.
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