South-Carolina
Volleyball Finalizes 2024 Schedule
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball announced its 2024 fall schedule on Thursday, featuring seven non-conference matches at home and a new-look Southeastern Conference schedule that pits the Gamecocks against newcomers Oklahoma at home and defending national champion Texas on the road.
The team’s annual Garnet and Black Scrimmage will be on Saturday, Aug. 17 at 5 p.m. with a home exhibition against Coastal Carolina set for the following Saturday, Aug. 24 at 6:30 p.m. The regular season opens on the road, with three games over three days hosted by Duke. The Gamecocks start the tournament on Aug. 30 against 2023 NCAA tournament participant Kansas, which held a 24-6 overall record and won its first-round match last postseason. On day two is Colgate, the defending Patriot League champions and winners of 22 games a year ago. The weekend wraps up on Sept. 1 against the host Blue Devils, who finished with a 19-10 mark last fall.
The bulk of the team’s pre-conference schedule will come in the friendly confines of the Carolina Volleyball Center, starting Sept. 6-8 when the Gamecocks host Temple and North Carolina. The weekend opener against the Owls will be the fourth meeting between the two programs, first since 2012. South Carolina hosts the Tar Heels on Sunday, Sept. 8 in a return game from 2022’s meeting in Chapel Hill.
After a one-off midweek match at home against College of Charleston on Sept. 10, the Gamecocks will host a four-team tournament the following weekend. The team plays a Friday doubleheader on Sept. 13, facing Stetson at 1:30 p.m. with a 7:30 nightcap against FIU. After a day off, the weekend closes with a 2 p.m. match against Wake Forest on Sunday, Sept. 15. South Carolina has not faced Stetson since 1986 and will play FIU for the first time since 2013. The Wake Forest game is also a 2022 return game, the Deacons won on their home court two seasons ago. The non-conference season wraps up with a pair of one-off games, hosting East Carolina on Sept. 17 at 6:30 and ending with the next chapter of the Clemson rivalry on Sept. 20 in the Tigers’ home gym. South Carolina is 7-1 in the series dating back to 2015.
Conference play begins at home on Sept. 27, with a home match against Mississippi State that precedes a challenging three-game road swing that starts on Wednesday, Oct. 2 with a trip to Austin for Texas’ first-ever home SEC match. After an early bye weekend, the Gamecocks then go to Georgia on Oct. 11 and Florida on the 13th. Other SEC home games include Ole Miss (Oct. 18), the team’s first meeting ever with new SEC foe Oklahoma (Oct. 20), Auburn (Oct. 27, Senior Night), Kentucky (Nov. 1, Alumnae Night), Tennessee (Nov. 3), Florida (Nov. 27) and Texas A&M (Nov. 30) will be the regular season finale.
Entering its seventh season under head coach Tom Mendoza, South Carolina returns seven veterans who played in 20 or more matches last season, aided by a recruiting class of two freshmen and two transfers.
Full ticket information for the season will be announced at a later date, for updates on the team heading into preseason practice in August, follow @Gamecockvolley on Twitter and Instagram.
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
His coverage metrics in 2025 were very solid, as on 65 targets, he allowed 34 receptions (52.3%) for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 54 total tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 694 total snaps this season. Throughout the combine, he ended up performing well in pretty much every drill, which bodes well for his ability to translate to the NFL. If the Saints are looking to add someone with slot experience already, Kilgore may be one of the best options available.
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