Gamecocks Pick Up Ranked Win Saturday

BOCA RATON, FLA. – Gamecock beach volleyball split a pair of 3-2 decisions to ranked opponents Saturday, opening play at the Beach Burrow Bash in Boca Raton, Fla. with a win over No. 16 Stetson and a loss to No. 14 FIU. South Carolina now sits at 16-10 overall for the season. The team was led on Saturday by senior Sophie Bengoechea and sophomore VB Trost, who swept both of their matches on court five.

The team opened the day with a nail-biter, drawing No. 16 Stetson for the first dual of the entire tournament. The first, third and fifth pairs led off the game, with the Hatters striking first thanks to a sweep of the top pairing. South Carolina quickly answered back with wins at three from Jolie Cranford and Julia Waugh and five from Sophie Bengoechea and VB Trost to swing the momentum back. Needing just one more win from the last two pairs, the Gamecocks avoided the drama and clinched the team victory with a 21-14, 21-16 sweep on court two by Hannah Mackenhausen and Riley Whitesides.

That first wave of matches swung against South Carolina in the afternoon dual with No. 14 FIU. The Panthers got on the board first with a sweep of court one, but the Gamecocks had a quick answer with a 21-18, 21-16 sweep from Bengoechea and Trost on court five. The momentum shift came on court three, where FIU lost the first set to Cranford and Waugh but won 21-19, 15-12 over the next two for the 2-1 team score advantage. The Panthers would come up clutch in a 21-19, 21-19 win on court two to clinch the dual, Morgan Downs and Peyton Yamagata scored South Carolina’s second point with a 21-16, 22-20 sweep on court four.

NOTABLE

• Riley Whitesides (court two), VB Trost (court five) and Julia Waugh (court three) each picked up their first career wins over ranked opponents in the morning dual against Stetson.
• With her win on court three Saturday morning, sophomore Jolie Cranford recorded her team-leading 18^th victory of the spring, matching her freshman win total.
• Hannah Mackenhausen won her 18^th career match against a ranked opponent thanks to her sweep of Stetson, she moves into sole possession of seventh place for career ranked wins in program history. Mackenhausen’s win over the Hatters was also her 80^th career win overall, making her the fifth Gamecock in program history to reach the total.
• Saturday morning was just the fourth win over Stetson in the all-time series (4-10, since 2016). The Hatters had won five of the last six duals.
• Half of South Carolina’s 10 losses have come by a 3-2 margin, including three of those losses coming against nationally ranked opponents.

UP NEXT
South Carolina will have another early day ahead, kicking the action off at 7:30 a.m. against FGCU before ending the tournament against the host FAU Owls at 11:30 a.m. For continued updates on the team, follow @GamecockBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram.

RESULTS
South Carolina 3, #16 Stetson 2

1. Shae Henson and Tori Clement (SU) def. Skylar Allen and Allison Coens (SC) 21-17, 21-11
2. Riley Whitesides and Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) def. Audrey Gauthier and Carolina Ferraris (SU) 21-14, 21-16
3. Jolie Cranford and Julia Waugh (SC) def. Alanna Shields and Alina Urzua (SU) 21-14, 21-17
4. Lauren Della and Vanessa Hurnikova (SU) def. Morgan Downs and Peyton Yamagata (SC) 21-17, 21-14
5. VB Trost and Sophie Bengoechea (SC) def. Klea Sirois and Kiki Drozd (SU) 21-19, 21-15

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

#14 FIU 3, South Carolina 2

1. Giada Bianchi and Reka Orsi Toth (FIU) def. Riley Whitesides and Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) 21-9, 21-15
2. Alice Pratesi and Lisa Luini (FIU) def. Skylar Allen and Allison Coens (SC) 21-19, 21-19
3. Lucie Pokorna and Zuzanna Bielak (FIU) def. Jolie Cranford and Julia Waugh (SC) 14-21, 21-19, 15-12
4. Morgan Downs and Peyton Yamagata (SC) def. Zoe Cahill and Hania Taduran (FIU) 21-16, 22-20
5. VB Trost and Sophie Bengoechea (SC) def. Lauren Huggins and Kendra Brown (FIU) 21-18, 21-16

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