Gamecock Grind Out Two Wins in Home Opener

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The opening day of the Gamecock Grand Slam was a success for the beach volleyball team, who defeated conference rivals UAB (7-7) and No. 18 Georgia State (10-6) on Saturday to kick off a seven-game home stand. The team swept the Blazers 5-0, but needed a dramatic comeback to take down the Panthers, 3-2, to close the day. With the two wins, South Carolina now stands at 9-5 and has won six duals in a row.
 
Opening the day against UAB, the Gamecocks were sharp, not yielding a single set in a 5-0 victory. Lydia DImke and Katie Smith provided the clinching point on court two with a 21-15, 21-13 win, and Hannah Edelman and Jess Vastine finished with the most emphatic win of the afternoon, yielding just 21 points total in a 21-16, 21-5 win at the fourth flight.
 
The Gamecocks needed to weather a storm to escape the day with win number two. Georgia State jumped all over the opening wave of the dual, cruising to a straight-set win at the fives and then pulling out a three-set win at the fours to leave South Carolina down 2-0 with zero room for error in the final wave of matches. Veteran leaders Cadie Bates and Shannon Williams set a positive tone early, reeling off their sixth-straight win in impressive fashion on court one, 21-13, 21-8. Dimke and Smith followed close behind with a 21-17, 23-21 win but the Panthers had a set in-hand at court three with a chance to close out the team win.
 
After dropping a 21-17 decision thanks to a late run in the first set, Franky Harrison and Carly Schnieder battled back to win the second 21-18 and put the dual on the line in a decisive third set. The Panthers held them at an arm’s length and led for almost the entire set, but the two Gamecocks held close until the end. Tied at 13, Schnieder served up an ace for her team’s first lead of the set, and Carolina wrapped up the comeback on the next point.
 
The win is the first time since the season opener against FIU on March 4, 2017 that the Gamecocks came back from a 2-0 deficit to win a dual.
 
“Anybody that we play for the remainder of the season is going to bring it regardless of who we are or where we’re ranked, so getting comfortable with knowing that teams are going to be coming after us that way is giant,” head coach Moritz Moritz said. “I think from this performance, being able to respond was huge, it’s definitely a confidence thing when you go down 0-2, how do you dig yourself out of a hole and we go back and even it up at 2-2 and then Carly and Franky put it away with confidence and composure. That’s a giant step for us.”
 
RESULTS
#10 South Carolina 5, UAB 0
1. Cadie Bates/Shannon Williams (SC) def. Tressa Buckland/Jaelyn Keene (UAB) 21-17, 23-21
2. Lydia Dimke/Katie Smith (SC) def. Kenley Adams/SalliAnne Napolitano (UAB) 21-15, 21-13
3. Carly Schnieder/Franky Harrison (SC) def. Jayme Bratsberg/Annie Pringle (UAB) 21-19, 21-12
4. Hannah Edelman/Jess Vastine (SC) def. Brooke Stansel/Emily Martinez (UAB) 21-16, 21-5
5. Caroline Skaff/Whitley Ballard (SC) def. Jenna Gathright/Emma Andraka (UAB) 21-17, 21-14
Order of finish: 4,5,2*,3,1
 
#10 South Carolina 3, #18 Georgia State 2
1. Cadie Bates/Shannon Williams (SC) def. Eden Hawes/Georgia Johnson (GSU) 21-13, 21-8
2. Lydia Dimke/Katie Smith (SC) def. Maddy Delmonte/Olivia Stasevich (GSU) 21-17, 23-21
3. Carly Schnieder/Franky Harrison (SC) def. Brooke Weiner/Kate Novack (GSU) 17-21, 21-18, 15-13
4. Becky Tresham/Maddie Gordon (GSU) def. Jess Vastine/Hannah Edelman (SC) 21-18, 19-21, 15-10
5. Kelly Dorn/Ashley McGinn (GSU) def. Whitley Ballard/Caroline Skaff (SC) 21-14, 21-12
Ext. Quinn Fulton/Lauryn Gillis (SC) def. Anna Rantala/Mattie Johnson (GSU) 21-8, 21-15
Order of finish: 5,4,1,2,3*