The South Carolina Gamecocks volleyball team concluded its opening weekend on Sunday, August 30, 2026, with a 3-0 sweep over Northeastern in the Gamecock Classic held at the Carolina Volleyball Center. This victory marked the team’s second sweep of the week, bringing their season record to 2-0.
Head coach Sarah Rumely Noble expressed pride in the team’s performance, highlighting their high hitting efficiency and effective blocking. The Gamecocks demonstrated a balanced attack and defensive effort, with multiple players contributing significantly. Two players achieved double-digit kills, and three hit over .500. The team recorded 14 total blocks, a figure that ranks as the second-highest during the Rumely Noble era, with seven different players contributing at least one block. Additionally, three Gamecocks each recorded eight or more digs.
In the first set, South Carolina overcame an early back-and-forth battle, taking control with a 3-0 run initiated by a block from Sydney Davis, eventually leading 11-8. Olivia Borgman’s consecutive kills helped extend the lead, and the Gamecocks secured the set 25-22 after a final kill from Elise Marchal.
The second set also saw early pressure from Northeastern before South Carolina found momentum. Back-to-back kills by Ava Leahy sparked a 9-2 run, putting the Gamecocks up 19-12. Ally Cavanaugh’s kill contributed to their largest lead of the set, and the team closed it out 25-17 with another kill from Marchal.
Olivia Borgman started the third set strongly with her 11th kill of the match, leading a 4-0 run. After Northeastern rallied to an 8-8 tie, South Carolina capitalized on three consecutive errors to build a 16-13 lead. Lily Gillespie delivered an ace, and the Gamecocks maintained their advantage, closing the set 25-17 on back-to-back blocks by Leahy, Borgman, and Kiana Dinn.
Key individual performances included Borgman with 12 kills and Marchal with 11. Leahy contributed 8 kills and Davis added 5. Kiana Dinn and Jill Bohannon both tallied double-digit assists with 21 and 10, respectively. Lilly Gillespie led the team in digs with 16.
The Gamecocks will continue non-conference play on the road, traveling to Michigan for their first away matches of the season. They are scheduled to play Michigan in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, September 1, at 6:30 p.m. as part of the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge. The team will then face Michigan State on Wednesday, September 2, at 4:30 p.m.
