Gamecocks Edge Arizona State in Sunday Dual
The team won the top three flights to win its 13th game of the year
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina beach volleyball ended the month of March on a high note, taking down Arizona State 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at home. The Gamecocks went 11-3 overall in March and now stand at 13-6 overall for the season, the Sun Devils are now 13-10.
It was a blustery afternoon down at the courts, and the Gamecocks would have to handle another curveball with a late lineup change in their fours pairing going into the opening wave. South Carolina leaned on their reliable combination of Lydia Dimke and Katie Smith to earn a split in the first round of matches, as the pair reeled off their eighth win in a row with a 21-12, 21-10 win at the twos. Arizona State evened the score with a win at the fours.
Cadie Bates and Shannon Williams got the second group started on a high note, routing ASU’s top pairing by a score of 21-14, 21-15 to put the Gamecocks up 2-1, but the final two active matches would head to a third set. At the threes, Carly Schnieder and Franky Harrison dominated their first set 21-13, but the Sun Devils evened the score with a 21-19 win to push it to a third. At the fifth pairing, Lauryn Gillis teamed with Jordan Smith and overcame a loss in the first set to also push a third with a 21-16 win.
Entering the day already with four dual-clinching wins under their belt, Harrison and Schnieder had to dig out of an early hole in the third set but pulled out the 15-12 win that gave the Gamecocks the team victory. Smith and Gillis would drop their third set for the 3-2 final. Harrison and Schnieder trailed 7-3 to start the third set – played to just 15 points – but the duo’s history in pressure situations helped them claw back into contention. A 6-0 run after the early deficit put them ahead for good in their 12thwin of the season together.
“That’s not unfamiliar for us to be in those third games, those tight, intense moments, we both have that trust in each other and we both know we’re going to do our job to get it done,” Harrison said after the match. “This one was especially exciting, we had a big crowd today and it was fun to go out there and do what we do.”
With a critical month of April ahead of them, the Gamecocks will prepare to head out for a full weekend tournament in Baton Rouge, La. next Saturday and Sunday. The LSU Beach Invitational will pit South Carolina against nationally ranked opponents in TCU and the host Tigers, as well as Texas A&M-Kingsville and Houston Baptist.
“We have to find ways to adapt and adjust,” head coach Moritz Moritz said. “We know we’re going to have a tough weekend coming up and the focus has always been to play our best volleyball at the end of the year, well here it is so let’s continue to work.”
The tournament begins Saturday with a 2 p.m. dual with Kingsville and a 7 p.m. dual with LSU. For updates on this week’s duals and more, follow GamecockBeachVB on Twitter.
RESULTS
#11 South Carolina 3, Arizona State 2
1. Shannon Williams/Cadie Bates (SC) def. Ashley Wenz/Olly Okaro (ASU) 21-14, 21-15
2. Katie Smith/Lydia Dimke (SC) def. Katelyn Carballo/Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) 21-12, 21-10
3. Carly Schnieder/Franky Harrison (SC) def. Katie Cross/Cierra Flood (ASU) 21-13, 19-21, 15-12
4. Samantha Plaster/Kate Baldwin (ASU) def. Jess Vastine/Abby Carroll (SC) 21-15, 21-16
5. Lauren Weintraub/Emily Anderson (ASU) def. Lauryn Gillis/Jordan Smith (SC) 21-9, 16-21, 15-12
Ext. Caroline Skaff/Avery Davis (SC) def. Natalie Braun/Maddy Salazar (ASU) 17-21, 21-17, 15-9
Order of finish: 2,4,1,3*,5
