South Carolina volleyball is back in the NCAA Tournament

The South Carolina volleyball team’s solid season continues with the Gamecocks’ first NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 years.

USC (19-9, 10-8 SEC) will face Colorado (18-13) in the opening round of the tournament at 5:30 p.m. Friday in a regional to be played in Maturi Pavilion at the University of Minnesota. Host team No. 2 Minnesota (25-3) plays Bryant (22-12) in the other match of the regional.

Tom Mendoza is in his first season as USC’s coach. South Carolina’s 19 wins are the most since 2008, and the 10 SEC wins are the most since 2008.

It’s the Gamecocks’ first NCAA tournament since 2002.

“This is an exciting moment, we’re really proud and excited and happy for our student-athletes,” Mendoza said. “Looking at what this group has been through this year and in years passed I think they’re definitely deserving, not just from the resume they put together as far as wins and losses but the way that they’ve worked together as a group.”

South Carolina’s Mikayla Robinson and Mikayla Shields made the 18-woman All-SEC team announced Sunday. It is the first time since 2002 that the Gamecocks had multiple all-conference honorees.

Robinson led the Gamecocks this year in blocks (96 total, 22 solo) and hitting percentage (.298). Shields is now a back-to-back All-SEC honoree, making her the ninth Gamecock to do so since South Carolina joined the conference in 1991. The junior led the team with 3.22 kills per set and hit .272 despite leading all Gamecock hitters with 837 total attacks.

This story was originally published November 25, 2018 at 8:51 PM.