Gamecock volleyball earns back-to-back NCAA tournament berths
After waiting 16 years between its last two NCAA tournament appearances, South Carolina volleyball wasted no time in getting back to the postseason in 2019, earning back-to-back tourney berths with an at-large bid Sunday night.
The Gamecocks were named to the 64-team field and will play Colorado State in the first round in Seattle on Friday, in the gym of host Washington, the No. 8 overall seed.
USC coach Tom Mendoza is the first coach in program history to earn postseason trips in both of his first two seasons. In 2018, South Carolina advanced to the second round, defeating Colorado in the first round before falling to No. 2 seed Minnesota. That was South Carolina’s first NCAA tournament since 2002.
If the Gamecocks can go that far in this year’s tournament, it would be the first time ever in program history that they make the second round in consecutive years.
Carolina finished the 2019 regular season with a 19-11 record and an 11-7 mark in the SEC. Senior Mikayla Shields and junior Mikayla Robinson were also both named All-SEC honorees Sunday.
Shields ranks ninth in the SEC for hitting percentage and is tenth in kills, as well third in aces, seventh in points and 11th in double-doubles. Robinson ranks second in program history in the rally-scoring era with 130 total blocks (26 solo) and averaged 1.24 blocks per set this season.
