Beach Volleyball . April 23, 2024

Beach Volleyball Collects Postseason Conference Honors

ATLANTA, GA. – The Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) announced its annual postseason awards on Tuesday, April 23. South Carolina took home a number of individual honors as well as multiple members on the all-conference teams, as voted on by the conference’s coaches and sports information directors.

Headlining the honors were Skylar Allen and Julia Waugh. A graduate student in her first year of a doctoral program in coaching education, Allen earned the honor of CCSA Scholar-Athlete of the Year. First-year standout Waugh was the unanimous choice for CCSA Freshman of the Year; both her and Allen are the first Gamecocks to win either award since the team joined the conference in 2016. Allen holds a 4.0 GPA in her doctoral program, having already earned her undergraduate degree in exercise science in May 2023. On the sand, she is a two-time all-american who ranks fourth in program history for career wins. Of her 84 total victories, 70 have come in the number one pairing – 25 more than any other Gamecock in program history. The only thing to slow down Waugh’s impressive debut season was injury. After missing the team’s first two weeks due to injury, the York, S.C. native went on a tear and finished the regular season with a 16-6 overall record. She finished third on the team in ranked wins, with three, and moved from the fourth position all the way up to court two by season’s end.

South Carolina also added eight more honorees to the conference’s three teams – all-conference, all-freshman and all-academic. Allen and Allison Coens were one of five pairs selected to the All-Conference list, the two went 15-9 together win 10 of those wins coming in the top pairing. It is Coens’ first All-Conference honor and Allen’s second, having also made the team last spring with partner Simone Priebe. Waugh made the all-freshman team as a unanimous selection, and four Gamecocks – Allen, Coens, Jolie Cranford and Hannah Mackenhausen – made the all-academic team. Waugh marks the third year in a row a Gamecock made the five-woman all-freshman team, and it is also the third year in a row with South Carolina leading the conference with four all-academic honorees. Allen is a three-time all-academic team member, Coens and Mackenhausen also made the 2023 team, and for Cranford it is her first time making the list.

2024 CCSA Beach Volleyball Postseason Honors and Awards
* – Denotes unanimous selection

Pair of the Year: *Reilly Allred & Parker Bracken, LSU
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Skylar Allen, South Carolina
Freshman of the Year: *Julia Waugh, South Carolina
Coach of the Year: *Brook Niles, Florida State

All-Conference Team

*Audrey Koeing Florida State Gr. Wesley Chapel, Fla.
*Raelyn White Florida State Gr. St. Petersburg, Fla.
*Alexis Durish Florida State So. Venice, Fla.
*Anna Long Florida State Jr. Lakeside Park, Ky.
Jessica Drake Grand Canyon Jr. Fresno, Calif.
Mackenzie Harris Grand Canyon Gr. Murfreesboro, Tenn.
*Parker Bracken LSU Jr. Ridgeland, Miss.
*Reilly Allred LSU Sr. Elon, N.C.
Skylar Allen South Carolina Gr. Mahomet, Ill.
Allison Coens South Carolina Gr. Lenexa, Kan.

All-Freshman Team

*Kaileigh Truslow Florida State Liberty Hill, Texas
Becca Drake Grand Canyon Fresno, Calif.
*Karynn Garrow Grand Canyon Boerne, Texas
*Skylar Martin LSU Canton, Ga.
*Julia Waugh South Carolina York, S.C.

All-Academic Team

Maddie Anderson Florida State Gr. Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Alexis Durish Florida State So. Venice, Fla.
Audrey Koeing Florida State Jr. Wesley Chapel, Fla.
Raelynn White Florida State Gr. St. Petersburg, Fla.
Jessica Drake Grand Canyon Jr. Fresno, Calif.
Krista Rowan Grand Canyon Sr. Chandler, Ariz.
Ellie Shank LSU Sr. Eastborough, Kan.
Skylar Allen South Carolina Gr. Lynchburg, Va.
Allison Coens South Carolina Gr. Lenexa, Kan.
Jolie Cranford South Carolina So. Highlands Ranch, CO
Hannah Mackenhausen South Carolina Sr. San Diego, Calif.

South Carolina is the number four seed in the upcoming CCSA conference tournament, held April 26-27 in Huntsville, Ala. The Gamecock face the number one seed, Florida State, at 11 a.m. ET and then either LSU or Grand Canyon in the second round, held Friday afternoon. For continued updates on the team and its upcoming schedule, follow @GamecockBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram.