May 17, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina beach volleyball team is ranked No. 20 in the final DiG Magazine Collegiate Beach Volleyball Poll of the 2016 season.

The Gamecocks finished their third season at 20-16 overall, which set a new record in program history. South Carolina also defeated a top-ten ranked team for the first time in program history when the Gamecocks dropped No.10 Florida International 4-1 in the semifinals of the CCSA Conference Tournament.

Carolina played its toughest schedule yet after facing 11 teams ranked in the final DiG poll, including NCAA Champion Southern Cal. Out of the Gamecocks’ 36 matches this season, 18 were against a team ranked in the top 20. The Gamecocks earned six victories against opponents ranked in the top 20, including North Florida, Florida International, Tulane, New Mexico and Florida Atlantic (twice).

South Carolina’s pairs combined for a 96-84 overall record. Three Gamecock duos finished the season with winning records. MVP winners Macie Tendrich and Katie Reilly set the school record for overall and dual wins in a season (26-10), besting the previous record (20-10) set by Paige Wheeler and Megan Kent in 2015. Tendrich and Reilly were also named to the CCSA All-Tournament Team.

With a newcomer in four of the five starting spots and a signing class of eight, the Gamecocks have built a strong foundation for the upcoming 2017 season.

DiG Magazine Collegiate Beach Volleyball Poll
1. Southern Cal*
2. Florida State*
3. UCLA
4. Hawaii
5. Pepperdine
6. Arizona
7. Georgia State*
8. Stetson*
9. Long Beach State
10. LSU*
11. Grand Canyon*
12. North Florida*
13. Florida International*
14. Tulane*
15. San Francisco
16. California
17. St. Mary’s
18. New Mexico*
19. Florida Atlantic*
20. South Carolina

*denotes teams South Carolina faced in the 2016 season