Beach Volleyball . April 21, 2018

Gamecocks Earn Spot in CCSA Semifinals With Two Saturday Wins

April 21, 2018

Final Stats

PAIR RESULTS: CHARLESTON

1: Bates/Smith (SC) def. Ehlers/Mummey (COFC) 21-14, 21-12

2: Williams/Ali Denney (SC) def. Rhodes/Rachel (COFC) 21-17, 21-15

3: Brennan/Madison (COFC) def. Schnieder/Mannisto (SC) 21-15, 12-21, 15-13

4: Perri/Tendrich (SC) def. Beckman/Freed (COFC) 21-13, 21-19

5: Manusky/Foley (COFC) def. Skaff/Vastine (SC) 21-8, 21-13

PAIR RESULTS: FIU

1: Frasca/Bianchin (FIU) def. Bates/Smith (SC) 19-21, 21-16, 15-9

2: Williams/Denney (SC) def. Bernier/Zembyla (FIU) 21-17, 21-14

3: Schnieder/Mannisto (SC) def. Friesen/Klinger (FIU) 21-15, 21-15

4: Perri/Tendrich (SC) def. Dal Pozzo/Thomas (FIU) 11-21, 21-15, 15-5

5: Giron/Bethancour (FIU) def. Skaff/Vastine (SC) 21-18, 21-17

Looking Ahead

Date	Opponent (H/A/N)	Time
4/22	LSU (Semifinal)	10:30 a.m.
4/22	FIU/Florida St. (Final)	1:00 p.m.

EMERSON, GA. – The South Carolina beach volleyball team came through in the clutch Saturday, pulling out a pair of 3-2 victories to sweep its pool at the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association’s conference tournament. The Gamecocks, now 24-6 for the year, defeated College of Charleston and No. 10 FIU to finish 4-0 in their pool.

As the pool winner, South Carolina will now face the runner-up in Pool A, LSU, in the semifinal Sunday morning.

The Gamecocks took a quick 2-0 lead on the Cougars, in a rematch of last weekend’s season finale at Wheeler Beach. Charleston would pull within one with a sweep of the fives, but Ali Denney and Shannon Williams secured the team win with a 21-17, 21-15 win in the twos. Cadie Bates and Katie Smith in the ones and Leah Perri and Macie Tendrich in the fours were the other winners for South Carolina.

In the afternoon match, the Gamecocks drew rival FIU. The Panthers beat them 4-1 in Miami at the end of March, but with a healthy lineup South Carolina took another quick lead. Carly Schnieder and Julia Mannisto rebounded from a three-set loss to Charleston with a 21-15, 21-15 win over FIU to open the scoring, and Denney and Williams followed close behind with a 21-17, 21-14 win in the twos. A win in the fives for FIU cut it to 2-1, but Perri and Tendrich locked up the win on court four. After losing their first set, 21-11, the two seniors rallied for a 21-15 win in set two and a 15-5 win in set three. It was the team’s second win over a top-10-ranked team this season.

NOTABLE

South Carolina previously made the semifinal in 2016, its first year in the CCSA.
The 24 wins are a new program record, breaking last year’s total.
After going 4-0 in pool play as a pair, Leah Perri and Macie Tendrich are now 23-7 this season. That is the second-highest by any Gamecock pair in a season in program history, behind only Tendrich and Katie Zimmerman‘s 2016 total of 26.
The team has now won four straight duals, the second longest streak of the season. The high is nine straight, between Feb. 24 and March 17.
Four years removed from posting a 5-12 overall record in its first season, South Carolina currently has a 12-5 record just against nationally ranked opponents this season.

UP NEXT

The semifinal match against LSU begins at 10:30 a.m. and will air on Eleven Sports. To find out where to find Eleven Sports through your local cable provider, click here for its CHANNEL LOCATOR.