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Beach Volleyball Announces 2020 Schedule
Beach Volleyball  . 

Beach Volleyball Announces 2020 Schedule

The team's spring features 16 duals against teams ranked in the final 2019 rankings

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 2020 South Carolina beach volleyball schedule was announced Monday afternoon, as the Gamecocks begin preparations for the seventh season in program history. Among the 29 total duals in the regular season, 16 come against teams that finished the 2019 season ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s top-20 poll and six of the eight teams that made up the NCAA tournament field. South Carolina finished 2019 ranked 16th in the country and earned its fourth-consecutive 20-win season, all coming under head coach Moritz Moritz.

“I’m excited about this year, we have a deep roster where any one person can be equally successful no matter the position in the lineup, nor the partner they pair with,” Moritz said. “We need to step up to the challenge that this schedule offers. The sport is deeper than it’s ever been, so we need to enter every match knowing that we need to be locked in no matter who we face. We experienced the peaks and the valleys last year, so we know what we’re capable of on our best day and our worst day. I expect our team to be hungry and I’m looking forward to getting back in the sand to prepare for the months ahead.”

SEASON SEVEN OPENS IN FLORIDA

  • Cal Poly and Houston Baptist (February 22)
  • TCU and Florida State (February 23)

The team begins the season just how it did in 2019, facing Cal Poly to open play at Florida State. First serve against Cal Poly is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 22. The Mustangs made the NCAA tournament in 2019 and earned a 4-1 win over South Carolina in the first-ever meeting between the two teams on Feb. 23, 2019. The second dual of the opening day of action pits Carolina against Houston Baptist at 1 p.m. On Feb. 23, the Gamecocks have their first conference duals of the season, playing TCU in the morning and then the host Seminoles at 3:30. This is year five for South Carolina in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association, the premier beach volleyball conference on the east coast.
 
“I don’t think there’s a better way to set the tone for our season than with a tournament of this caliber,” Moritz said. “This may be our first weekend, but these are teams we will vying with for postseason bids all season.”

GAMECOCKS HOST ON THE CAROLINA COAST

  • Florida State and Southern Cal (February 29)
  • Grand Canyon and College of Charleston (March 1)

South Carolina brings a loaded field of competitors to the Lowcountry to close out February, hosting a tournament in Hilton Head February 29-March 1. The Gamecocks will rematch with Florida State at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, then faces 2019 national finalist Southern Cal at 4:30. Sunday, the team plays Grand Canyon at 12:30 and College of Charleston at 4:30. South Carolina recorded its biggest win as a program last March after upsetting No. 2 Southern Cal; this season’s dual is the fifth meeting ever between the two programs. This will be the Gamecocks’ first event in Hilton Head, and brings home senior Hannah Edelman in her final season.

“One of our goals as a team is to spread the love for the sport, and I’m very excited to have the opportunity to bring South Carolina beach volleyball to Hilton Head,” Moritz said. “To see a home-grown talent like Hannah have the experience of playing collegiate beach volleyball in her home town will be special.” 

THE TEAM’S FIRST-EVER WEST COAST SWING FEATURES ELITE OPPONENTS

  • Pepperdine and Long Beach State (March 7)
  • Stetson and Loyola Marymount (March 8)

For the first time in program history, the Gamecocks will head to the home of beach volleyball – California – for a four-match tour of the state during the team’s spring break, March 7-8. The weekend starts in Malibu with a doubleheader against Pepperdine at 9 a.m. ET and Long Beach State at 12:15 ET on Saturday. The following day, the team travels down the coast to the birthplace of modern beach volleyball in Santa Monica. Two more ranked opponents await the team: Stetson at 10 a.m. ET and then Loyola Marymount at 12:30 ET. All four opponents finished 2019 ranked in the top 12 nationally, and Stetson and Pepperdine made the eight-team NCAA tournament field as well.
 
“We have a proud history of Californians coming east to compete for our us, and it’s important for me to have our program go out there and let people know what South Carolina is all about” Moritz said. “The level of talent we’ll be facing is high, so I hope we take full advantage of this weekend and bring our best to the West Coast.”
 
HOME OPENER AT WHEELER BEACH BRINGS IN REGIONAL RIVALS

  • North Florida and FIU (March 14)
  • Arizona State and Mercer (March 15)

The first home weekend of the season will be the Carolina Challenge, running March 14-15 down at Wheeler Beach. The Gamecocks host North Florida and FIU on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively, then face Arizona State and Mercer at 1 and 5 on Sunday. All home events are free to attend.
 
“We’ll be happy to be back at Wheeler Beach for an important weekend like this,” Moritz said. “We need to be locked in for any and every opponent in the east region, and certainly can’t overlook an Arizona State team that took us to the brink last season in our home sand. Getting the opportunity to compete in front of our fans in matches like these is big for our team.”
 
CAROLINA HEADS TO GULF SHORES FOR REGULAR SEASON TOURNAMENT

  • UAB and FAU (March 20)
  • TCU and New Orleans (March 21)

South Carolina hits the road one last time for a familiar location, going to Gulf Shores, Ala. for the March to May tournament, hosted by UAB. The two-day event will be played on the beaches of Gulf Shores, where the NCAA championship is held every year. Friday’s doubleheader pits South Carolina against the host Blazers and FAU. On Saturday, the team faces TCU and New Orleans.
 
“This is a unique opportunity for us to visualize our postseason goals in the place where it all happens, but we also know that it’s a difficult environment to play in and we’ll be matched up with conference rivals who always test us,” Moritz said. “If we want to make a return trip to Gulf Shores in May, weekends like this one will be key.”
 
SECOND HOME WEEKEND FEATURES FIELD OF CONFERENCE FOES

  • UAB and LSU (April 4)
  • Southern Mississippi and Georgia State (April 5)

Following a single mid-week dual at home against Coastal Carolina at 6 p.m. on March 25, the team’s next full home weekend will be the Gamecock Grand Slam on April 4-5. The weekend brings in a slate of CCSA rivals, starting Saturday at 1 p.m. against UAB and 5 p.m. against LSU. Sunday, the team plays Southern Miss at 1 and Georgia State at 5. South Carolina went a combined 5-3 against these teams last year, going 1-2 against LSU and splitting with Georgia State but sweeping through UAB and Southern Miss.
 
“We’re fortunate to play in one of the deepest conferences in beach volleyball, and this weekend is a testament to that,” Moritz said. “By this point in the season, all four of these teams will be pressing for a better place in the conference standings, so I expect the competition level to be extremely high for every single dual.”

REGULAR SEASON CLOSES AT HOME FOR PALMETTO INVITATIONAL

  • Stetson and Erskine (April 10)
  • Tulane and College of Charleston (April 11)

The final weekend of the regular season comes at Wheeler Beach, with the team hosting the Palmetto Invitational April 10-11. Friday features matches against Stetson at 1 p.m. and Erskine College at 6 p.m. This is the debut season for the Erskine beach volleyball program; South Carolina will host its senior night ceremony before first serve against the Fleet.
 
“We want to send our senior class out on a high note at home, but this group of opponents will not be an easy one. Stetson, Tulane and Charleston will all be working on improving its postseason resume this weekend along with us, so no dual can be taken for granted,” Moritz said. “Personally, I’m also very happy to host Erskine during its first season as a program. Schools across the state adopting beach volleyball is fantastic to see.” 

The postseason begins the following weekend with the CCSA tournament April 17-19, held this season in Huntsville, Ala. at the John Hunt Sand Volleyball Complex for the first time. The eight-team NCAA championship tournament will remain on the beach in Gulf Shores, Ala. and runs May 1-3.

For home duals, the team’s state-of-the-art Wheeler Beach facility can be located behind the South Carolina softball stadium and Cregger Track. Fans can park in the Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center’s parking garage (1300 Heyward St.) or in the parking lot off South Marion Street. Those coming from the parking garage can take the athletics village promenade down to the courts; those in the South Marion lot can enter from below the promenade. All home events are free to attend.
 
For updates, follow GamecockBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram.

2020 Beach VB Schedule