April 16, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. — After opening the day with a victory over Coastal Carolina, the South Carolina beach volleyball team fell to No. 11 LSU on Saturday at Wheeler Beach.

The Gamecocks are now 16-13 on the year, while the Chanticleers dropped to 2-8 overall and the Tigers improved to 13-6.

“Our match against LSU tonight was tough for us,” said head coach Moritz Moritz. “We really wanted it. I think the girls did a great job fighting, but in the end we just couldn’t finish. It’s part of the learning curve. We still have to learn how to win against those top teams. At the end of the day, it’s on my shoulders to do a better job preparing the team to perform and execute at their potential. We will continue to work diligently towards that improvement. While we have a lot of adjustments to make, I’m proud of their effort. Now we have to learn from it and finish strong this weekend.”

South Carolina began the day recognizing seniors Sarah Blomgren and Litsa Darby, followed by a quick 4-1 victory over Coastal Carolina. The Gamecocks then took on the 11th-ranked Tigers, and after dropping all five first sets, Carolina rallied back to win the second sets and push a third set on four out of the five courts.

LSU proved to be too much for the Gamecocks and took a 5-0 victory over Carolina.

Sunday marks day two of the Palmetto Invitational and South Carolina will face UNC-Wilmington at 11 a.m. and Carson-Newman at 5 p.m.

Dual Results
South Carolina 4, Coastal Carolina 1
1. Natasa Savovic/Alise Petersone (CCU) def. Julia Mannisto/Shannon Williams (SC) 21-16, 21-12
2. Macie Tendrich/Katie Reilly (SC) def. Tahleia Bishop/Aleksandra Djuric (CCU) 21-10, 21-14
3. Sarah Blomgren/Aubrey Ezell (SC) def. Leah Hardeman/Carla Cahill (CCU) 21-13, 21-11
4. Jade Vitt/Delaney Wood (SC) def. Sara Boothe/Mika Mierzwa (CCU) 21-9, 21-13
5. Erin Neuenfeldt/Litsa Darby (SC) def. Iva Mandic/Annayka Legros (CCU) 21-2, 21-9

Order of Finish: 5, 4, 2, 3, 1

LSU 5, South Carolina 0
1. Katie Lindelow/Ashley Allmer (LSU) def. Julia Mannisto/Shannon Williams (SC) 21-15, 18-21, 15-13
2. Helen Boyle/Lilly Kessler (LSU) def. Macie Tendrich/Katie Reilly (SC) 21-15, 17-21, 15-11
3. Cati Leak/Callan Molle (LSU) def. Sarah Blomgren/Aubrey Ezell (SC) 21-13, 21-23, 16-18
4. Mandi Orellana/Riley Young (LSU) def. Jade Vitt/Delaney Wood (SC) 23-21, 8-21, 15-7
5. Cheyenne Wood/Megan Davenport (LSU) def. Erin Neuenfeldt/Litsa Darby (SC) 21-19, 23-21
Exh. Victoria Boraski/Roxanne McVey (LSU) def. Emma Lock/Lauren Percy (SC) 21-19, 21-14

Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1