Beach Volleyball . January 28, 2021

Beach Volleyball Releases 2021 Schedule

The team will have three home weekends among its seven regular season tournaments

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina beach volleyball announced its 2021 schedule Thursday afternoon. The Gamecocks, who saw their season cut short last spring, rolls out a gauntlet of seven weekend tournaments that pit the team against 11 opponents who are ranked in the top-20 nationally in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s preseason poll. South Carolina earned the No. 14 spot on that poll after finishing 5-7 overall in an abbreviated 12-game schedule in 2020 that pitted it against 10 nationally ranked foes.

“This schedule was challenging to put together, we had to maintain a level of quality opponents that best prepare us to pursue our goal of winning in the postseason while also keeping our team as safe as possible,” head coach Moritz Moritz said. “As we get ready for this season, we are preparing to be the best versions of ourselves because this year, more than any, we need to be ready for unpredictability across the net from us.”

The season begins with arguably the biggest opening weekend tournament in the country, the Stetson Spring Fling on Feb. 27-28. Along with host Stetson, the preseason No. 11 team in the country, South Carolina will also face No. 15 TCU, No. 13 FIU and No. 12 FAU. The Gamecocks remain on the road the following weekend, heading to the coast of the Palmetto State with a tournament at Coastal Carolina March 6 and 7. The team will face conference rivals College of Charleston and UNCW, rematch with Stetson and also play the host Chanticleers.

March 13-14, South Carolina returns to Wheeler Beach for its first home event in almost two years when it hosts the Carolina Challenge. With the Gamecocks unable to play a home game in 2020, the opportunity to get back in their home sand is a special one for the program.

“It’s still fresh in our minds how we were progressing last season before we were stopped,” Moritz said. “I think it will be cathartic for us when we’re finally standing with our feet in the sand ready to play a match, whether it’s at Stetson to open the season or when we’re finally able to play at home. We are really going to cherish that moment, because we truly can appreciate how fortunate we are to be together as a family playing a sport we all love so much.”

The Gamecocks play host to Jacksonville, Mercer, Southern Mississippi and Coastal Carolina over the two days at home. After that, it’s back on the road for the LSU Beach Invitational March 20-21. Along with facing the preseason number-one-ranked team with LSU, South Carolina will also play Southern Miss, Houston Baptist and New Orleans.

A talented field will descend on Wheeler Beach in the final tournament of March, as the Gamecock Grand Slam features a full slate of ranked teams March 27-28. Along with the Gamecocks, conference rivals Florida State and Georgia State and Stetson will square off over the two days.

Following an open weekend to begin April the Gamecocks head to Atlanta for a two-day tournament hosted by Georgia State, April 9-10. It will be a weekend full of conference opponents, with the Panthers also bringing in UAB and Southern Miss.

The regular season closes out at home with the Palmetto Invitational April 16-17. Participating that weekend will be College of Charleston, UNCW and Erskine College, with an additional opponent still to be determined.

Postseason play features the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association tournament in Huntsville, Ala. from April 23-25, and the NCAA tournament will again be hosted on the beach at Gulf Shores, Ala. May 7-9.