TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Coming off of a promising win in 4 sets vs. Texas A&M, the Tide were hopeful of securing another SEC win against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first of their two-match series. Unfortunately, the Tide lost in 3 sets (28-30, 21-25, 19-25).
A big block by senior MH Alyiah Wells compelled Coach Mendoza of South Carolina to take his second timeout in two points, as the Tide rushed out to an 11-3 lead. A kill by sophomore OH Sami Jacobs furthered the Alabama lead to 17-8. The Gamecocks wouldn’t go away, however, and tied the set at 20. In what should’ve been a blowout, the Tide lost a stunner 28-30 after a remarkable comeback by South Carolina.
The teams began the second set by trading points, with the Tide holding a slim 13-12 lead. An ace by the Gamecocks forced an Alabama timeout, as the Tide found themselves down 18-20. Another ace by South Carolina put set 2 away, as the Tide lost 21-25.
A third consecutive neck-in-neck start in the third set saw the Tide down 10-12. A Tide attacking error expanded the Gamecock lead, as Alabama trailed 15-21. The Tide went on to lose set 3 and the match 19-25.
With the loss, the Tide falls to 8-16 (2-10). Though the Tide looked like they were poised to blow South Carolina out of the water early in set 1, the Gamecocks simply looked to be the better team from then on. They will look to rebound against the Gamecocks at home in the second match of the series.
