Box Score Oct. 21, 2014 Final Stats
CONWAY - The Coastal Carolina volleyball team notched its first-ever win against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday night with an impressive 3-0 sweep. Tuesday night's match was also Coastal's annual Dig Pink game to help raise awareness of the fight against breast cancer.
In the nine previous meetings between the two teams, the Chanticleers (16-5, 5-2) had only ever won three sets against the Gamecocks (13-7, 3-4). That number was matched on Tuesday as the Chants ran away with the 25-15, 25-17, 25-23 victory for their sixth three-set sweep of the season.
Coastal, which ranks sixth in the nation in opponent hitting percentage, held South Carolina to just .051 as a team, while posting a percentage of .291. The Chants were also dominant at the net, out-blocking the Gamecocks 4-3.
Freshman Leah Hardeman led all players with 17 kills and 19 points while hitting .351. She also finished with nine digs, just one short of a double-double, and two aces.
Junior Eszter Nagy followed with eight kills at a .368 clip, while Lian Bernett and Annayka Legros each put down seven. Sam Skryd led all players with 37 assists, her highest total in a three-set match this season.
On the defensive side, Bernett, Skryd and Jenna Orner all had double-digit digs, with Bernett leading the way at 13. Legros, meanwhile, tallied a solo block and an assist to pace the Chants.
Coastal came out dominant in the first set, outhitting South Carolina .417-.000. The Chants jumped out to a 12-8 lead, forcing the Gamecocks to call a timeout, and kept the pressure on for the remainder of the set using a 13-7 run.
Coastal was as equally impressive in the second set, recording three team blocks and hitting .205 to South Carolina's -.054. Hardeman registered five kills in the set, while Skryd paced the Chants with five digs.
The third set was more evenly matched, as Coastal once again out-hit South Carolina but was out-blocked by the Gamecocks. The Chants led for the majority of the set, leading by as many as five points towards the end, but a 6-1 run by South Carolina tied the set at 21-21 and forced Coastal to use both of its timeouts. The second break finally halted the Gamecocks momentum, and the Chants managed to close out the match.
The win against South Carolina marks Coastal's second victory against an SEC school this season. The Chants previously defeated Tennesse in four sets in September as part of the Coastal Carolina Invitational.
Tuesday night's match was the last at home for Coastal for the next two weeks. The Chanticleers hit the road for their next four matches, beginning with a 7 pm meeting at Gardner-Webb on Friday.
