March 25, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Gamecocks (10-4) are set to host their third home tournament of the season this weekend at Wheeler Beach.

South Carolina welcomes four teams to Columbia, as UAB, TCU, Carson Newman and Jacksonville will compete in the event. A complete schedule can be found here http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sports/w-svolley/spec-rel/scar-16-svolley-gamecock-invitational.html

Admission is free to all of South Carolina’s beach 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.

GAMECOCK SCHEDULE

SATURDAY
South Carolina vs. UAB @ 11 a.m.
[Youth League Day, Faculty & Staff Guest Coach Day, free food for first 150 students]

South Carolina vs. TCU @ 5 p.m.
[Youth League Day, post-match autographs]

SUNDAY
South Carolina vs. Carson Newman @ 1 p.m.
[Post-match Easter egg hunt]

South Carolina vs. Jacksonville @ 5 p.m.

SOUTH CAROLINA AT A GLANCE

• The Gamecocks are in their third season under the direction of head coach Moritz Moritz after going 14-7 in the program’s second season in 2015.
• 11 players from last year’s roster are back.
• Carolina currently has a roster size of 20 players.
• Three of the players on this year’s roster — Sarah Blomgren, Aubrey Ezell, Emma Lock — are crossover players from the Carolina indoor program.
• South Carolina boasts a diverse roster as it has players from 11 different states, including Texas, Virginia, California, Florida, South Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, New Jersey and Missouri.

CAROLINA IN HOME DUALS

• The Gamecocks are now 8-1 in home matches this season and 17-6 all-time at Wheeler Beach, including 3-2 in 2014 and 6-3 in 2015.
• In the first dual in Wheeler Beach history, the Gamecocks defeated Oregon 4-1 in front of 1,102 fans on March 21, 2014.

UAB

• The Blazers are in their fifth season and are under the direction of Bailey Coleman.
• UAB enters the weekend with a 5-6 record overall and a 2-3 mark on the road.
• The Blazers last competed in the College of Charleston Duals tournament where they went 3-1 after defeating UNC-Wilmington (3-2), College of Charleston (4-1) and Lincoln Memorial (5-0). Their only loss came from Pepperdine (5-0).
• South Carolina leads the all-time series with UAB 4-0. The two teams met earlier this month on March 13 at the Gamecock Challenge where Carolina defeated the Blazers 4-1.

TCU

• The Horned Frogs are in their second and are under the direction of Erik Peterson.
• TCU enters the weekend with a 6-3 record overall and a 0-2 mark on the road.
• The Frogs last competed in the Fight at the Fort, where they defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-0) and Houston Baptist (5-0), but fell to Florida State (5-0).
• Saturday’s matchup will be the first-ever meeting between the Gamecocks and the Horned Frogs.

CARSON-NEWMAN

• The Eagles are in their second season and are under the direction of Dave Franklin.
• Carson Newman enters the weekend with a 5-4 record overall and a 1-2 mark on the road.
• The Eagles last faced Eckerd and Stevenson. After falling to Eckerd twice (3-2 and 4-1), Carson Newman rebounded with two wins over Stevenson (4-1 and 5-0).
• The Gamecocks lead the all-time series with the Eagles. The two teams last met at the Gamecock Invitational on March 20, 2015, where South Carolina won 5-0.

JACKSONVILLE

• The Dolphins are in their third season and are under the direction of Julia Darty, former Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the Gamecocks’ indoor volleyball program.
• Jacksonville enters the weekend with a 4-6 record overall and a 1-4 mark on the road.
• JU last faced Spring Hill, where the Dolphins picked up a pair of 5-0 victories.
• South Carolina leads the all-time series with Jacksonville 2-1. The two teams last met at the UNF Sand Invitational on March 15, 2015 where the Gamecocks won 3-2.