Beach Volleyball . March 18, 2018

Gamecocks Upset No. 7 LSU to Cap Weekend Tournament

March 18, 2018

Final Stats

PAIR RESULTS: LSU

1: Coppola/Nuss (LSU) def. Williams/Denney (SC) 21-16, 21-9

2: Bates/Smith (SC) def. Domanski/Powers (LSU) 21-18, 21-16

3: Mannisto/Schnieder (SC) def. Davenport/Allen (LSU) 21-17, 21-13

4: Tendrich/Perri (SC) def. Ligon/Nelson (LSU) 21-18, 17-21, 15-12

5: Davis/Vastine (SC) def. Tillis/Young (LSU) 17-21, 22-20, 15-13

Ex: Kessler/Hardesty (LSU) def. Baumann/Skaff (SC) 21-15, 21-15

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

PAIR RESULTS: JACKSONVILLE ST.

1: Williams/Denney (SC) def. Anderson/Will (JSU) 21-10, 21-15

2: Bates/Smith (SC) def. Milton/Kirk (JSU) 21-13, 21-9

3: Mannisto/Schnieder (SC) def. Hughes/Schmidt (JSU) 21-13, 21-16

4: Tendrich/Perri (SC) def. Jarnagin/Randall (JSU) 21-5, 21-7

5: Vastine/Davis (SC) def. Cloutier/Rombach (JSU) 21-9, 21-8

Ex: Baumann/Skaff (SC) def. Krutsinger/Frear (JSU) 21-10

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

Looking Ahead

Date	Opponent (H/A/N)	Time
3/24	FGCU (H)	2 p.m. ET
3/24	Hawai’i (H)	6 p.m. ET
3/25	TCU (H)	2 p.m. ET
3/25	UAB (H)	6 p.m. ET

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina beach volleyball team celebrated another first Sunday, as it defeated No. 7 LSU for the first time in program history to highlight the final day of the Gamecock Grand Slam. The team stands at 12-2 overall after the 4-1 win over the Tigers and a 5-0 sweep of Jacksonville State on day two of the tournament.

The Gamecocks set the tone early against the Tigers, winning three-set matches at the fourth and fifth positions to put the team in front. Leah Perri and Macie Tendrich won the opening point with a 21-18, 17-21, 15-12 win at the fours, and Jess Vastine and Avery Davis overcame a first-set loss to win 17-21, 22-20, 15-13 at the fives. It was the freshmen duo’s first match of the season together, and their rally sparked the Gamecocks.

LSU cut the Carolina lead to 2-1 with a win at number one, but sweeps on court two and three pushed the Gamecocks to the dual win. Cadie Bates and Katie Smith won 21-18, 21-16 at two, and Carly Schnieder and Julia Mannisto won 21-17, 21-13 at three. The Tigers entered Sunday with a 6-0 lead in the all-time series

South Carolina ended the weekend with a 5-0 win over Jacksonville State (1-11). In a battle of the Gamecocks, it was Carolina that cruised to the win. Across the five pairs, Jacksonville State would not score more than 16 points in any single set. Bates and Smith provided the clinching point with a 21-13, 21-9 win.

NOTABLE

The Gamecocks are now 7-2 against AVCA Top-20 opponents this season, and 7-1 in conference play.
Tendrich and Perri have won 10 straight matches for the Gamecocks, the team’s longest win streak this season.
The Gamecocks went 4-1 in three-set matches for the weekend.
Avery Davis picked up her first career collegiate win against LSU. Jess Vastine is now 3-3 in her freshman season.

UP NEXT

An equally talented field will descend on Wheeler Beach next weekend, when South Carolina hosts the Gamecock Challenge. The tournament runs Saturday and Sunday, and features duals with FGCU, Hawai’i, TCU and UAB. The Gamecocks will play at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day. Attendance at Wheeler Beach is free all season long.