With only two home games left this year, the Lady Vols (8-21, 1-14 SEC) look to pull off an upset Wednesday night when they take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols are coming off back-to-back road losses against LSU and Texas A&M. The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead early against the Lady Vols. However, Tennessee would go on to win the third set 25-21 before dropping the fourth set against the talented Tigers. The Lady Vols couldn’t get it going on offense, posting a hitting percentage of .052 compared to LSU’s .244. The Tigers also slammed home 15 blocks compared to two by the Lady Vols.
The Aggies would go on to sweep the Lady Vols in straight sets thanks to an astronomical .312 hitting percentage. The Aggies also piled on 58 digs compared to the Lady Vols’ 46.
“We’ve played a lot better this past weekend when it comes to our passing,” head coach Rob Patrick said. “If we take care of our side of the net and not make a lot of errors, we can play with anybody. We showed that against LSU and Texas A&M.”
Now the Lady Vols will have an SEC East rival coming to town with victory on their mind. The Gamecocks (15-12, 5-9 SEC) are a formidable defensive juggernaut. South Carolina ranks first in the SEC in blocks per set with 2.44. The Gamecocks also rank third in the SEC in digs per set with 14.64. Patrick thinks superb passing is the key to stopping their blocking barrage.
“If we can continue to pass well, we can split their blocks and do a pretty good job,” he said.
South Carolina’s power comes from middle blocker Darian Dozier. The junior ranks third in the SEC in blocks per set with 1.24. Dozier also broke South Carolina’s single-season record in blocks this season and is currently eighth on the career blocking list.
Mikael Christiaansen is another player the Lady Vols must keep on their radar. The senior has quietly jumped up to third in the SEC with 4.27 digs per set.
The Lady Vols are 19-10 against South Carolina in Knoxville, dating all the way back to 1974. This will be the 36th time Patrick has seen South Carolina in head-to-head action. Patrick is 19-16 all-time against the Gamecocks.
“We’re gonna have to really place the ball in spots and get into the seam of their block with our good passing,” Patrick added.
South Carolina has not won on the road since Oct. 5 in a five-set nail-biter against Auburn. The Gamecocks are also currently riding a five-game losing streak. However, fatigue could play a factor in Wednesday’s matchup, as the Gamecocks have played three straight five-set matches against Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn, respectively.
The South Carolina-Tennessee matchup will take place on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU. Fans are encouraged to come out and support the Lady Vols in this game, as they have only one home game left on the schedule after Wednesday’s matchup.
