March 27, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina sand volleyball team will host its final home event of the season this weekend as it welcomes No. 3 Pepperdine and No. 6 Florida International to the Carolina Sand Volleyball Complex for the Palmetto Invitational.

The Gamecocks will face Pepperdine on Saturday at 11 a.m. and will take on Florida International on Sunday at 11 a.m. Both duals will be streamed live on the SEC Network+ digital platform. Pairs from each team will also compete in a Gold and Silver pairs tournament bracket both days with play beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday. A Senior Day ceremony honoring the Gamecocks’ first senior class will be held immediately following Carolina’s dual with Pepperdine on Saturday.

Admission is free to all of South Carolina’s sand volleyball events. The complex is located in the Athletics Village directly behind the right-field wall of Carolina Softball Stadium. Fans and media can park for free in the Athletics Village garage.

PALMETTO INVITATIONAL INFORMATION
Schedule: Tournament Central
Saturday: vs. Pepperdine, 11 a.m. | SEC Network+
Sunday: vs. Florida International, 11 a.m. | SEC Network+
On Twitter: @GamecockSandVB
Notes:Palmetto Invitational

South Carolina at a Glance
• The Gamecocks are in their second season under the direction of head coach Moritz Moritz after going 5-12 in the program’s inaugural season in 2014.
• All 18 players from last year’s roster are back.
• Carolina currently has a roster size of 25 players. Four players – Paige Wheeler, Litsa Darby, Megan Kent and Maddie Frome – played indoor volleyball for the Gamecocks in 2012 before making the transition to sand only players.
• Five of the players on this year’s roster – Sarah Blomgren, Jordan Wilson-Talmadge, KoKo Atoa-Williams, Allie Monserez and Abby Feruck – are crossover players from the Carolina indoor program.
• South Carolina boasts a diverse roster as it has players from 12 different states, including Virginia, Iowa, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Maryland, New Jersey, Nevada and Missouri.

A Look Back at the Gamecock Invitational
• The Gamecocks went 4-1 during the three-day event to improve to 11-3 on the season.
• Carolina defeated Carson-Newman 5-0 to open the weekend, the team’s third sweep this season.
• The Gamecocks topped Arizona State 4-1 to move to 2-0 all-time vs. Pac-12 schools.
• A 3-2 win over Tulane extended Carolina’s winning streak to six duals, the longest winning streak in the program’s short existence.
• The Gamecocks dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 4 Florida State to snap the winning streak. The point was Carolina’s first against the Seminoles in three meetings. The Gamecocks were swept in the previous two meetings.
• Carolina improved to 3-0 all-time vs. UAB with a 4-1 win to over the Blazers to close out the weekend.

Projecting the Lineup
• No. 1: Maddie Frome/Julia Mannisto – 7-9 overall, including a 6-8 record in dual play…Went 2-3 during the Gamecock Invitational…3-7 in last 10 matches.
• No. 2: Paige Wheeler/Megan Kent – Team-best 14-4 overall record, including an 11-3 mark in dual play…Went 4-1 in the Gamecock Invitational…7-3 in last 10 matches.
• No. 3: Sarah Blomgren/Jade Vitt – 9-6 on the season, including a 9-5 record in dual play…Posted a 3-2 record during the Gamecock Invitational…5-5 in last 10 matches.
• No. 4: Jade Hayes/Macie Tendrich – Second best record on the team with a 13-4 overall mark, including an 11-3 record in dual play…Went 4-1 during the Gamecock Invitational…8-2 in last 10 matches.
• No. 5: KoKo Atoa-Williams/Allie Monserez – 11-5 on the year, including a 10-4 record in dual play…Went 4-1 during the Gamecock Invitational…8-2 in last 10 matches.
• No. 6: Erin Neuenfeldt/Litsa Darby – 6-1 in exhibition matches this season.

Carolina in Home Duals
• The Gamecocks are 9-3 all-time at the Carolina Sand Volleyball Complex, including a 6-1 record this season.
• Carolina’s only loss at home this season was to then-No. 4 Florida State (4-1) at the Gamecock Invitational.
• The Gamecocks have never been swept at home. Carolina has lost 4-1 at home on two occasions, to LSU (3/22/14) and to Florida State (3/21/15).
• In the first dual in Carolina Sand Volleyball Complex history, the Gamecocks defeated Oregon 4-1 in front of 1,102 fans on March 21, 2014.

Senior Salute
• Five Gamecock seniors will be honored during a Senior Day ceremony immediately following Saturday’s dual with Pepperdine.
• Haley Guyton, Jade Hayes, Megan Kent, Colleen Nosovitch and Paige Wheeler make up the program’s first senior class. The Gamecocks did not have any seniors a year ago.
• Wheeler and Kent have played at No. 1 and No. 2 during the last two years and have a 19-22 overall record, including a team-best 14-4 mark this season.
• Hayes has teamed with freshman Macie Tendrich to go 13-4 overall at No. 4 and No. 5 in her only year with the Gamecocks.

Doubling Up
• With seven duals remaining on the schedule, the Gamecocks have more than doubled their win total from last year with 11. Carolina won five duals in its inaugural season in 2014.
• The Gamecocks have also doubled the number of home wins with six after winning three a year ago.

Leaders of the Pack
• Carolina’s senior tandem of Paige Wheeler and Megan Kent has posted the team’s best record with a 14-4 overall mark this season while playing at No. 2, including an 11-3 record in dual play.
• All four losses have gone to three sets.
• Wheeler and Kent have lost just 12 of 44 sets this season in 18 matches.
• The pair secured the only point for Carolina against then-No. 4 Florida State, defeating Sarah Wickstrom and Sierra Sanchez in three sets by the scores of 19-21, 21-15 and 15-13.
• Wheeler and Kent finished runner-up in the Gold bracket of the Carolina Classic pairs tournament, finishing the weekend with a 3-1 record.

Moving Up in the Rankings
• After earning the program’s first national ranking of No. 20 in the DiG Magazine Collegiate Sand Poll on March 9, the Gamecocks moved up three spots to No. 17 in the second release of the DiG Magazine Poll on March 23.
• The Gamecocks still have three duals left on the schedule against teams in the latest DiG Poll, including two this weekend. Pepperdine is ranked No. 2, while Florida International is No. 4. Carolina will also face No. 20 ULM on April 18 in Baton Rouge, La.

Scouting No. 3 Pepperdine
• The Waves enter the weekend with a 6-2 record. Pepperdine has a 58-4 all-time record.
• This weekend is Pepperdine’s first and only regular-season trip to the East Coast this year.
• Pepperdine’s two losses have been to current No. 1 Southern California (3-2) and current No. 2 Hawaii (3-2).
• Pepperdine is the defending AVCA Sand Volleyball National champion. The Waves defeated Florida State 4-1 to win the title a year ago. Pepperdine also won the inaugural national championship in 2012, finishing the year with a 14-0 record.
• The Waves return eight of the 10 players from last year’s lineup, including AVCA All-Americans Lara Dykstra, Kelley Larsen, Kellie Woolever and Becca Strehlow.
• Larsen and Woolover have played at No. 1 for the Waves and have a 13-3 overall record, including a 5-3 mark in dual play.
• Dykstra and Strehlow have occupied the No. 2 spot and are 10-1 overall this year, including a 6-0 record in dual play.

Scouting No. 6 Florida International
• The Panthers have an 11-1 overall record this season.
• FIU has won 10-straight duals, including seven sweeps. The Panthers have only lost five points during the winning streak.
• The Panthers went 14-4 in 2014 and earned a spot in the AVCA Sand Volleyball National Championship.
• Senior Maryna Samoday and freshman Anja Licka have played at No. 1 this season and have posted an 11-1 record in dual play.
• Seniors Kristine Monforte and Summer Nash have played at No. 2 for most of the season and have an 11-1 record in dual play.

Series History vs. No. 6 Florida International
• Sunday’s meeting will be the second all-time between the Gamecocks and Panthers.
• Florida International won the first meeting 5-0 on March 9, 2014 at the UNF Sand Invitational at St. Augustine Beach, Fla.