March 11, 2015
ATLANTA, Ga. — The South Carolina sand volleyball team dropped a 5-0 decision at Georgia State on Wednesday afternoon to wrap up play at the Georgia State Diggin’ Duals.
The Gamecocks battled back and forth with the Panthers, as four of the five matches went to three sets. However, Georgia State was able to close out all four of the three-set matches to hand Carolina its first loss of the season. The Gamecocks are now 4-1 on the year, while the Panthers improve to 5-0.
Carolina fell behind early, as Georgia State’s No. 4 pair of Natalie Wilson and Delaney Rohan defeated the Gamecock tandem of Jade Hayes and Macie Tendrich, 25-23 and 21-13, to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
The Gamecocks’ No. 5 pair of KoKo Atoa-Williams and Allie Monserez dropped the first set to Jessica Fourspring and Nina Interwies, 21-19, before bouncing back to take the second set 21-14. But Interwies and Fourspring gave Georgia State a 2-0 lead with a 15-11 win in set three.
In the No. 1 pairs match, Carolina’s Maddie Frome and Julia Mannisto dominated the first set on their way to a 21-13 win, but the Panthers’ Kate Rawls and Sarah Agnew bounced back to even the match with a 21-16 win in the second set. Frome and Mannisto trailed 12-8 late in the third set before scrapping back to tie it at 13-13. However, Rawls and Agnew scored the next two points to win 15-13 and clinch the victory for Georgia State.
Carolina’s No. 2 pair of Paige Wheeler and Megan Kent upended Georgia State’s Jansen Button and Sara Olivova 21-19 in the first set but dropped the second set 21-17 to go to a third. Despite a run by Wheeler and Kent, Button and Olivova held on for a 15-11 win to give the Panthers a 4-0 lead.
In the No. 3 match, the Gamecocks’ duo of Jade Vitt and Sarah Blomgren fell in three sets to Georgia State’s Milani Pickering and Maida Dostalova by the scores of 12-21, 27-25 and 15-10.
Litsa Darby and Erin Neuenfeldt teamed up to knock off Georgia State’s Deidra Bohannon and Molly Smestad in the exhibition match by the scores of 21-15 and 21-17.
The Gamecocks will return to action this weekend at the UNF Sand Invitational at Saint Augustine Beach, Fla. Carolina will face 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 (3:30 p.m.) on Sunday.
Results
South Carolina, New Orleans
No. 1: Kate Rawls/Sarah Agnew (GSU) def. Maddie Frome/Julia Mannisto (SC) 13-21, 21-16, 15-13
No. 2: Jansen Button/Sara Olivova (GSU) def. Paige Wheeler/Megan Kent (SC) 19-21, 21-17, 15-11
No. 3: Milani Pickering/Maida Dostalova (GSU) def. Jade Vitt/Sarah Blomgren (SC) 12-21, 27-25, 15-10
No. 4: Natalie Wilson/Delaney Rohan (GSU) def. Jade Hayes/Macie Tendrich (SC) 25-23, 21-13
No. 5: Jessica Fourspring/Nina Interwies (GSU) def. KoKo Atoa-Williams/Allie Monserez (SC) 21-19, 14-21, 15-11
Exh.: Litsa Darby/Erin Neuenfeldt (SC) def. Deidra Bohannon/Molly Smestad (GSU) 21-15, 21-17
