March 8, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina sand volleyball team moved to 2-0 on the season with a 3-2 victory over ULM on Sunday afternoon at the Carolina Sand Volleyball Complex.
Carolina clinched the match early on by winning at No. 2, No. 4 and No. 3 to take a 3-0 lead over the Warhawks (1-1), the 20th-ranked team in the DIG Magazine Preseason Collegiate Sand Poll.
The Gamecocks wrapped up the Carolina Classic with two dual wins and had a successful run in the both the Gold and Silver pairs tournament brackets, including a runner-up finish in the Gold bracket by their No. 2 pair of seniors Paige Wheeler and Megan Kent
“It was a solid opening weekend,” South Carolina head coach Moritz Moritz said. “We picked up two quality wins against two great opponents. They were two good team wins. I think it was huge for us to start off the season that way. The performances we had from top to bottom in the pairs tournament was really good. We got to see some different teams at different stages and saw some things that we need to work on and continue to improve upon. We look forward to keep raising our level of play as the season goes on.”
In the dual with ULM, Wheeler and Kent and Carolina’s No. 4 pair of senior Jade Hayes and freshman Macie Tendrich gave the Gamecocks a 2-0 lead with two-set victories.
Wheeler and Kent strolled to a 21-11 win in the first set against ULM’s Hope Pawlik and Katie Lindstrom before putting away the Warhawk duo with a 21-18 victory in set two.
Tendrich and Hayes jumped out on ULM’s Hadley Swartz and Bayleigh Hoffman early in the first set on their way to a 21-11 win and then clinched the Gamecocks’ second point with a 21-18 win in set two.
The Gamecocks’ No. 3 pair of Sarah Blomgren and Jade Vitt clinched the win as they defeated ULM’s Alannah Cullum and Claire Crossfield 22-20 in the first set before making quick work of the ULM tandem for a 21-9 win in the second set.
The Warhawks won the final two points. ULM’s No. 1 pair of Marcela Araya and Michelle McNamee topped Carolina’s Maddie Frome and Julia Mannisto by the scores of 22-20 and 21-19, while the Warhawks’ No. 5 pair of Kaitlyn Shearer and Taylor Zaeske won both sets over KoKo Atoa-Williams and Allie Monserez by the scores of 21-16 and 21-16.
In the exhibition match, Carolina’s Erin Neuenfeldt and Litsa Darby claimed a win over ULM’s Rachel Arnason and Celine Flores by the scores of 18-21, 21-18 and 15-7.
In the Gold bracket quarterfinals, Wheeler and Kent started out their day with a matchup against ULM’s Araya and McNamee and needed three sets to advance to the semis as they won by the scores of 16-21, 21-13 and 15-13.
Wheeler and Kent then secured their spot in the final, defeating Georgia State’s Sarah Agnew and Katelyn Rawls 24-22 and 21-17 in the semifinals.
In the final, Wheeler and Kent got off to a strong start against Mercer’s Emma Peel and Tori Penrod with a 21-16 win in the first set. However, the Bears’ pair forced a third set with a 25-23 win in set two. In a back and forth third set, Penrod and Peel went on to win the title with a 16-14 victory.
Blomgren and Vitt won the Gold consolation bracket to finish third overall. The Gamecock duo had to win five one-set matches along the way, including a 21-19 win over Araya and McNamee in the final.
In the Silver bracket, Hayes and Tendrich advanced to the semifinals with a 15-21, 21-14 and 15-9 win over Mercer’s Emily Krogman and Erin Brett before begin eliminated by Georgia State’s Delaney Rohan and Natalie Wilson by the scores of 21-16 and 21-14.
The Gamecocks have a busy week ahead, with eight duals on the schedule. Carolina will play at UAB (12 p.m. ET) on Tuesday and will take on Mercer (11 a.m.), New Orleans (3 p.m.) and Georgia State (7 p.m.) on Wednesday in the Georgia State Diggin’ Duals in Atlanta, Ga. The Gamecocks will close out the week at the UNF Sand Invitational in St. Augustine Beach, Fla., with matches against North Florida (1:30 p.m.) and College of Charleston (3:30 p.m.) on Saturday and Florida Atlantic (1:30 p.m.) and Jacksonville (1:30 p.m.) on Sunday.
Results
South Carolina 3, ULM 2
No. 1 Marcela Araya/Michelle McNamee (ULM) def. Maddie Frome/Julia Mannisto (SC) 22-20, 21-19
No. 2 Paige Wheeler/Megan Kent (SC) def. Hope Pawlik/Katie Lindstrom (ULM) 21-11, 21-18
No. 3 Sarah Blomgren/Jade Vitt (SC) def. Alannah Cullum/Claire Crossfield (ULM) 22-20, 21-9
No. 4 Jade Hayes/Macie Tendrich (SC) def. Hadley Swartz/Bayleigh Hoffman (ULM) 21-11, 21-18
No. 5 Kaitlyn Shearer/Taylor Zaeske (ULM) def. KoKo Atoa-Williams/Allie Monserez (SC) 21-16, 21-16
Exh. Litsa Darby/Erin Neuenfeldt (SC) def. Rachel Arnason/Celine Flores (ULM) 18-21, 21-18, 15-7
Gold Bracket – Winner’s Bracket
Quarterfinals
Emma Peel/Tori Penrod (MU) def. Maddie Frome/Julia Mannisto (SC) 19-21, 21-14, 15-8
Paige Wheeler/Megan Kent (SC) def. Marcela Araya/Michelle McNamee (ULM) 16-21, 21-13, 15-13
Semifinals
Paige Wheeler/Megan Kent (SC) def. Sarah Agnew/Katelyn Rawls (GSU) 24-22, 21-17
Final
Emma Peel/Tori Penrod (MU) def. Paige Wheeler/Megan Kent (SC) 16-21, 25-23, 16-14
Gold Consolation Bracket
Sarah Blomgren/Jade Vitt (SC) def. Kelly Koop/Maya Prestes (JU) 21-18
Sarah Blomgren/Jade Vitt (SC) def. Maddie Frome/Julia Mannisto (SC) 21-19
Sarah Blomgren/Jade Vitt (SC) def. Magdalena Dostalova/Milani Pickering (GSU) 21-19
Sarah Blomgren/Jade Vitt (SC) def. Sarah Agnew/Katelyn Rawls (GSU) 21-0 (forfeit)
Sarah Blomgren/Jade Vitt (SC) def. Marcela Araya/Michelle McNamee (ULM) 21-19
Silver Bracket
Quarterfinals
Jade Hayes/Macie Tendrich (SC) def. Emily Krogman/Erin Brett (MU) 15-21, 21-14, 15-9
Molly Smestad/Alexis Elmurr (GSU) def. KoKo Atoa-Williams/Allie Monserez (SC) 21-18, 23-21
Semifinals
Delaney Rohan/Natalie Wilson (GSU) def. Jade Hayes/Macie Tendrich (SC) 21-16, 21-14
