March 31, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Heading out for the second road trip of the season, the South Carolina beach volleyball team will compete in the Surf and Turf Classic in Miami at Lummus Park on Friday and Saturday.

Teams included in this weekend’s tournament are host, Florida International, Georgia State, Southern Cal, Tulane and Stetson. All five teams are ranked in the top 20, with four being ranked in the top 10.

GAMECOCK SCHEDULE

SATURDAY
South Carolina vs. Georgia State @ 9 a.m.
South Carolina vs. Florida International @ 11 a.m.
South Carolina vs. Southern Cal @ 3 p.m.

SUNDAY
South Carolina vs. Tulane @ 10 am.
South Carolina vs. Stetson @ 1 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.

A LOOK BACK AT THE GAMECOCK INVITATIONAL

– The Gamecocks went 3-1 in their third home tournament this season.
– South Carolina defeated UAB (5-0), TCU (4-1) and Carson-Newman (5-0) but fell to Jacksonville (5-0).
– Carolina’s Nos. 1-4 pairs all went 3-1 during the tournament and the No. 5 pair went 2-2.

GEORGIA STATE

– The Panthers are in their fourth season and are under the direction of Beth Van Fleet.
– GSU enters the weekend ranked at No. 8 with a 15-2 record overall.
– Georgia State currently holds a seven-match win streak.
– Panther’s duo of Jansen Button and Sara Olivova were named the CCSA Pair of the Week on March 22. The pair is 16-1 on the season, 7-0 at No. 1 and 9-1 at No. 2.
– Georgia State leads the all-time series with South Carolina 3-0.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL

– The Panthers are in their fourth season and are under the direction of Rita Buck-Crockett.
– FIU enters the weekend ranked at No. 10 with a 5-6 record overall.
– Florida International has lost their last four matches.
– Savannah Davis and Nati Giron lead the Panthers with a 9-2 mark on the season, including a 2-1 record at No. 1 and a 7-1 record at No. 5.
– The Panthers lead the all-time series with the Gamecocks 2-0.

SOUTHERN CAL

– The Trojans are in their fifth season and are under the direction of Anna Collier.
– USC enters the weekend ranked at No. 2 with an 11-2 record overall.
– Southern Cal currently holds a seven-match win streak.
– The Trojans have had three pairs named Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week including:
– Nicolette Martin and Allie Wheeler (March 8) are 11-2 at No. 3.
– Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes (March 21) are 13-0 at No. 1.
– Jenna Belton and Abril Bustamante (March 28) are 10-2 at No. 4.
– This weekend marks the first-ever meeting between the Gamecocks and the Trojans.

TULANE

– The Green Wave is in its fifth season and is under the direction of Wayne Holly.
– TU enters the weekend ranked at No. 18 with a 10-6 record overall.
– Tulane has lost its last three matches.
– Jackie Wegner and Tea Juric lead the Green Wave at No. 1 with a 13-3 mark on the season.
– Carolina leads the all-time series with Tulane 3-0.
– The two teams met earlier this season at the Gamecock Challenge where the Gamecocks defeated the Green Wave 4-1 on March 12.

STETSON

– The Hatters are in their fifth season and are under the direction of Kristina Hernandez.
– SU enters the weekend ranked at No. 9 with a 16-4 record overall.
– Stetson went 2-2 last weekend in the Stetson Invitational.
– Sara Putt and Vendy Strakova were named Atlantic Sun Pair of the Week on March 29. The pair is 19-0 at No. 1.
– This weekend marks the first ever meeting between the Hatters and the Gamecocks.