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Beach Volleyball Advances to Semifinal Round of CCSA Tournament
Beach Volleyball  . 

Beach Volleyball Advances to Semifinal Round of CCSA Tournament

HUNTSVILLE, ALA. – South Carolina beach volleyball advanced to day two of the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association’s postseason conference tournament after a split of two Friday duals at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala. The Gamecocks (19-15) opened with a loss to top-seeded Florida State (29-7) but rallied back to defeat No. 17 Grand Canyon (14-19) in the elimination bracket and advance to the semifinals.

The Seminoles were in control from the jump in the opening dual of the tournament, sweeping all five courts. The Gamecocks were unable to get closer than four points in any of the sets, forcing them into an elimination game against Grand Canyon later in the day.

In the break between games, winds kicked up across the courts at John Hunt Park and the Gamecocks played it to their advantage at the start of the dual with Grand Canyon. The team took big leads across all five pairings in the first sets and held them for a big momentum advantage early. The ‘Lopes would not yield, though, and forced third sets on courts two through five. South Carolina got on the board first thanks to a sweep on court one from Skylar Allen and Riley Whitesides, but both sides would have to wait for the next points as the four remaining courts went the distance.

Jolie Cranford and Julia Waugh would be the next court to finish, holding off GCU by a score of 21-14, 21-17, 16-14 to make it a 2-0 advantage for the Gamecocks. There wouldn’t be the typical dramatic finish that a 3-2 final margin would suggest, though, as Allison Coens and Hannah Mackenhausen clinched the team victory and made it 3-0 with a 21-10, 21-18, 15-9 decision on court two. The ‘Lopes would finish out the dual with comebacks on four and five.

NOTABLE

  • The Gamecocks were Grand Canyon’s first loss to an unranked team this season. The ‘Lopes had previously gone 13-0 against unranked and 1-18 against ranked opponents.
  • The team extended its streak of eight seasons in a row with two or more wins over ranked opponents.
  • Friday afternoon was South Carolina’s first win in the CCSA tournament since 2021, a streak of six losses. Including regular season conference duals, this is the first win against a CCSA opponent since March 20, 2022. The Gamecocks had lost 12 in a row since then.
  • The win over GCU snapped a three-game losing streak to the ‘Lopes and avenged the team’s 3-2 loss to them on March 23.
  • Skylar Allen and Hannah Mackenhausen each earned their 20th wins of the season in the GCU dual, it is the third 20-win season in both of their careers.
  • Allen’s sweep on court one against GCU was her 14th win in the top position. In the program record book, Allen now has four of the top 10 highest single-season win totals on court one.
  • Jolie Cranford won her 23rd match of the season in the win over GCU, it is the fifth-highest win total for a single season in program history. The sophomore’s 13 wins on court three so far this spring ranks 6th in program history for a single season

UP NEXT
A spot in the conference tournament championship is on the line. South Carolina faces No. 10 LSU Saturday morning at 10 a.m. ET in an elimination match. The winner will advance to the championship against Florida State Saturday afternoon. Fans can continue to follow the tournament on ESPN+.

For continued updates on the team, also follow @GamecockBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram.

RESULTS
#4 Florida State 5, South Carolina 0

  1. Maddie Anderson/Alexis Durish (FSU) def. Skylar Allen/Riley Whitesides (SC) 21-11, 21-13
  2. Allison Hansen/Anna Long (FSU) def. Allison Coens/Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) 21-17, 21-13
  3. Morgan Chacon/Skyler Germann (FSU) def. Jolie Cranford/Julia Waugh (SC) 21-15, 21-17
  4. Audrey Koenig/Raelyn White (FSU) def. Morgan Downs/Peyton Yamagata (SC) 21-16, 21-14
  5. Caitlin Moon/Kaileigh Truslow (FSU) def. VB Trost/Sophie Bengoechea (SC) 21-17, 21-13

Order of Finish: 1,2,4,3,5
*- Deciding Point

South Carolina 3, #17 GCU 2

  1. Skylar Allen/Riley Whitesides (SC) def. Sophia Hladyniuk/Krista Rowan (GCU) 21-19, 21-17
  2. Allison Coens/Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) def. Sarah Dickson/Katie Keefe (GCU) 21-10, 18-21, 15-9
  3. Jolie Cranford/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Karynn Garrow/Adrianna Serrano Ferro (GCU) 21-14, 17-21, 16-14
  4. Jessica Drake/Mackenzie Harris (GCU) def. Morgan Downs/Peyton Yamagata (SC) 19-21, 22-20, 15-9
  5. Madison Bogle/Regan Holmer (GCU) def. Sophie Bengoechea /VB Trost (SC) 15-21, 25-23, 18-16

Order of Finish: 1,3,2*,4,5
*- Deciding Point

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