CHARLESTON, S.C. - College of Charleston rallied from down two sets to force a deciding fifth game, but the South Carolina Gamecocks scored the last three points of the match to win a dramatic 3-2 decision.
Playing in a five-set match for the second time in less than 24 hours, the Cougars tied the final game at 12 off a kill from junior Kelly Kolich. However, an attack from senior Elyse Chubb was ruled out on the next point and South Carolina was able to win the final two points and the fifth set, 15-12.
Freshman Sloane White led College of Charleston (3-5, 0-0) with new season highs in 14 kills and hitting percentage (.407). She tied with sophomore Madelyn McGinnis and senior Sarah Havel for the team lead in kills on the match. Chubb finished with 13 kills and the team hit .226 for the match.
Defensively, Kolich set a new career high with 18 digs to go along with a season-high eight kills. Senior Hayley Harrell also set a new career mark in digs with 18. Sophomore Kallie McKown recorded a season-best 56 assists to go along with 16 digs, while redshirt-junior Emily Shelton finished with 21 digs.
South Carolina (8-1, 0-0) was led by Juliette Thevenin who landed a match-high 23 kills. Teresa Stenlund notched 11 kills on 20 attempts for a hitting percentage of .450. Libero Paige Wheeler registered a match-high 31 digs.
The Gamecocks exploded out of the gates in game one, hitting .464 on attack and cruising to a 25-12 set win. Despite a more resolute Cougar effort in game two, including 5-of-6 hitting from Chubb, the Gamecocks were again able to take a 25-22 set victory. Thevenin and Bethanie Thomas each had six kills while Wheeler picked up eight digs for South Carolina in the second set.
College of Charleston came out strong after the break, pulling away from a tie at 14 to build a 20-15 lead on several South Carolina attacking errors. The Cougars won a 25-20 set decision behind a .304 hitting percentage and efficient swinging from White.
The Cougars seemed in trouble in the fourth set after South Carolina opened a 12-8 lead. However, Charleston reeled off ten straight with points coming from Havel, Kolich, Chubb and Shelton, grabbing an 18-12 lead and firmly taking the match momentum. The Gamecocks pulled to within 21-17, but could not get closer as Charleston won the fourth game, 25-19.
The Cougars played from behind for nearly all of the final game, going down 7-2 early after three straight errors. However, the Cougars picked up eight of the next 12 points to cut the lead to just 11-10, getting the fans in TD Arena to their feet. Kills from McGinnis and Kolich tied the game at 12, but the ensuing call against Chubb gave the Gamecocks a 13-12 advantage they did not relinquish.
The College of Charleston Invitational will conclude on Saturday night at TD Arena with matches between South Carolina and Winthrop (5 p.m.), and College of Charleston and Clemson (7 p.m.).
