COLUMBIA, S.C. — Senior Mikayla Robinson of the South Carolina volleyball team will miss the remainder of the 2021 season with an injury suffered Oct. 30 at Ole Miss, head coach Tom Mendoza announced Monday. The injury marks an end to a prolific, record-setting career, with Robinson serving as a focal point in one of the most successful periods in South Carolina's 49-year history.
"We are all heartbroken for Robby. Seeing her grow from a shy kid into a mature leader has been a joy to watch and she should be incredibly proud of her legacy in this program," Mendoza said of his captain. "She is one of the most impactful people to wear a South Carolina volleyball uniform and I am very grateful for the opportunity to coach her."
The list of personal accolades is long for Robinson, who followed in her father Marcus' footsteps to become a standout student-athlete in Columbia. The middle blocker stands as one of just four women in program history to eclipse 1,000 kills and 400 total blocks, and in the modern-scoring era (since 2001) she is also in the top-10 in eight different career statistical categories. Most notably among them, she is number one for career blocks (496), games played (136) and is one of two Gamecocks ever to play in 500 sets for a career.
That production on offense and defense helped power a complete turnaround for the Gamecocks, who went from a 12-18 record in her freshman season to NCAA tournament appearances and first-round wins in 2018 and 2019. No other group in program history has posted back-to-back seasons with 20 or more wins overall along with a postseason tournament win.
