Beach Volleyball Splits Final Day of LSU Beach Invitational

BATON ROUGE, LA. – South Carolina wrapped up its weekend in Baton Rouge with a 3-2 loss to No. 20 TCU and a 4-1 win over Houston Baptist on Sunday morning. The Gamecocks are now 15-8 overall with one weekend remaining in the regular season.
 
All six matches would run simultaneously due to inclement weather in the forecast, and the Gamecocks were able to quickly push ahead to a 2-1 lead behind sweeps for Jess Vastine and Whitley Ballard at the fives and Lydia Dimke and Katie Smith at the twos. TCU evened up the score with a sweep on court three, and the dual came down to a third set on center court. Cadie Bates and Shannon Williams dropped the final set 16-14 to give the Frogs the win.
 
With just 30 minutes to decompress, Carolina got off to a slow start in its matchup with Houston Baptist. The Huskies took the first set on two courts and earned the dual’s first point after an injury default for the Gamecocks on court one, but solid victories from Hannah Edelman and Franky Harrison at the threes and Ballard and Lauryn Gillis at the fives got the team back in a groove. Vastine and Carly Schnieder clinched the team win with a 21-17, 21-16 decision at the fours, and Dimke and Smith overcame a first-set loss to win 15-21, 21-19, 15-7 in the last match of the dual.
 
The team returns home for the season finale next weekend. The Palmetto Invitational at Wheeler Beach features three duals with conference opponents – Tulane, UNCW and Charleston – and Missouri State. Action begins Friday at 1 p.m. against the Green Wave, and the Gamecocks will hold senior night for its seven graduating student-athletes at 6 p.m. against Missouri State.
 
RESULTS
#20 TCU 3, #11 South Carolina 2
1. Mandi Orellana/Haven Hill (TCU) def. Cadie Bates/Shannon Williams (SC) 21-16, 15-21, 16-14
2. Lydia Dimke/Katie Smith (SC) def. Jensyn Bledsoe/Claire Doyle (TCU) 23-21, 21-14
3. Molly Scheel/Taylor Bradley (TCU) def. Franky Harrison/Carly Schnieder (SC) 22-20, 21-11
4. Caroline White/Jaelyn Greene (TCU) def. Lauryn Gillis/Hannah Edelman (SC) 21-19, 21-19
5. Jess Vastine/Whitley Ballard (SC) def. Avery Arellano/Hailey Brockett (TCU) 21-15, 21-16
Ext. Jordan Smith/Caroline Skaff (SC) def. Emily Napoli/Hayley Boll (TCU) 21-15, 21-10
Order of finish: 3,5,2,4,1*
 
#11 South Carolina 4, Houston Baptist 1
1. Tori Hinojosa/Aeriel Horton (HBU) def. Cadie Bates/Shannon Williams (SC) 21-14, 21-11 (Injury Default)
2. Lydia Dimke/Katie Smith (SC) def. Bailey Banks/Natalie Bennett (HBU) 15-21, 21-19, 15-7
3. Franky Harrison/Hannah Edelman (SC) def. Lauren Huggins/Brennan Miller (HBU) 21-9, 21-10
4. Jess Vastine/Carly Schnieder (SC) def. Maddie Butters/Conley Harris (HBU) 21-17, 21-16
5. Lauryn Gillis/Whitley Ballard (SC) def. Danielle Wheeler/Meagan Carter (HBU) 21-19, 21-11
Ext. Jordan Smith/Caroline Skaff (SC) def. Kylie Bryan/Lindsay Harris (HBU) 21-18, 21-12
Order of finish: 1,3,5,4*,2