Tournament: Winthrop Invitational
Location: Rock Hill, S.C. (Winthrop Coliseum)
Records: VCU 3-6, South Carolina 6-2
 
The short story: Senior middle blocker Sarah Stratton led VCU with seven kills, but South Carolina powered past the Rams to a 3-0 win Friday afternoon.
 
OPENING VOLLEY

• Stratton hit .250 on the day in 16 attempts for the Black and Gold
• Freshman libero Anja Kujundzic supplied 12 digs for VCU from the back row, an average of 4.0 per set
• Rams' senior outside hitter Ana Brangioni added 10 digs and five kills
• Riley Whitesides (14 kills) and Oby Anadi (12 kills, .556 hitting percentage) led the Gamecock's attack

THE DIFFERENCE

• South Carolina hit .293 in the match, while VCU failed to get on track, hitting .021
• The Gamecocks also owned decided advantages in blocks (8-2), digs (45-40) and aces (4-1)
• VCU looked to climb back into the match in the second set, when it used back-to-back kills by Brangioni and junior opposite Parker Hartzell on the way to a 12-9 lead. VCU still led by three, at 14-11, when South Carolina turned the corner. The Gamecocks promptly embarked on a 12-2 blitz behind a pair of Whitesides kills and never looked back
• South Carolina hit .414 in the first set on the way to a 25-13 win and an early lead

NEXT UP
VCU will meet Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. in day two of the Winthrop Invitational.