CONWAY, S.C. - Coastal Carolina forced a deciding fifth set and battled into extra points before falling two points shy of South Carolina, 3-2, at the HTC Center on Wednesday.
 
Junior Jalyn Stout served for match point with CCU (1-2) ahead 14-13 in the fifth set, Victoria Hill's kill forced the match into extra points. There were three lead changes and two ties before Alayna Johnson's 13th kill of the match claimed victory for South Carolina (3-1). 

Junior Emily Fowler led the Chanticleer attack with 18 kills, with classmates Anna Rita and Emma Van Elslande adding 11 kills each. Stout posted her second consecutive double-double with 22 assists and 11 digs, and Ava Wallis distributed 20 assists for the third straight game. Becca Micelle collected a team-high 15 digs, and Bailee Earnhardt had 11 digs.
 
Hill led the Gamecocks with 17 kills, Victoria Harris recorded 19 digs, and Sydney Floyd handed out 21 assists. 

THE SYNOPSIS 
• The Gamecocks dominated the opening set 25-17, building an eight-point lead and holding on to take the opener by that margin. 
• The second set was the opposite of the first as the Chanticleers rushed out to a 10-4 lead and held on for a 25-22 win as Ava Wallis closed out the frame with a service ace. Wallis and Emma Van Elslande each had two aces in the frame, and Fowler recorded a set-high eight points. 
• South Carolina reasserted itself in the third set, building an 18-9 advantage and leading by as many as 14, 23-9, before posting a 25-13 victory to take a 2-1 lead. 
•Coastal Carolina used a 10-6 run in the fourth set to take a 19-14 lead on Anzley Rinard's kill. The Gamecocks fought back to make it a one-point game at 21-20, but the Chanticleers scored the final four points, bookended by a pair of kills from Van Elslande. 
• The fifth set featured 11 ties and four lead changes before Johnson ended the match. Neither team led by more than two points in the fifth set. 
 
NOTES & STATS   
• The Chanticleers fell to 2-10 all-time against South Carolina and 1-2 at the HTC Center. 
• Fowler's 18 kills were one shy of her career-high of 19 against South Alabama last season. 
• Freshman Julia Rose Rivera made her Chanticleer debut, recording two digs. 
• Junior Anna Rita had four solo blocks for the second straight match, and Fowler had three for the second time this season. 
   
NEXT MATCH  
Coastal returns action this weekend at the Wildcat Classic at Davidson College. The Chants will open the tournament on Friday, Sept. 5, against Delaware State. The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. 
   
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