Beach Volleyball Closes Regular Season With Pair of Saturday Wins
The Gamecocks are 21-7 overall entering postseason play
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina beach volleyball closed the 2021 regular season at home Saturday afternoon, sweeping Erskine College 5-0 and College of Charleston 4-1. The Gamecocks enter the postseason with a 21-7 overall record and the No. 16 ranking nationally. Of those 21 total wins, 12 came against conference rivals, setting a single-season program record that was previously held by the 2017 team.
In the morning opener, the Gamecocks jumped ahead to a 2-0 lead after sweeps in the opening wave of the dual. Jess Vastine and Carly Schnieder started the action with a 21-17, 21-10 win in the fourth pairing. Highlighting the morning was a win for Louise Kooiman and Ashley Brasfield in the fifth flight. Both Gamecocks made their first collegiate start in the match, with Kooiman playing for the final time on Wheeler Beach before graduating next month. The two earned their first career wins together after a 21-19, 21-14 score.
South Carolina put the hammer down in the top three pairings against Erskine, starting with a win for Alyssa Keller and Hannah Mackenhausen at number three where the two allowed just 12 total points to their opponents. Skylar Allen and Katie Smith followed close behind with a 21-14, 21-6 win at number one, and Madison Brabham and Avery Davis closed the dual with a 21-15, 21-15 sweep on court two.
In the finale, the Gamecocks continued their late-season roll with a win over conference rival College of Charleston. Keller and Mackenhausen led the scoring with a win in the fours, 21-13, 21-14, and almost immediately the fives pair also wrapped up a sweep. Morgyn Greer and Schnieder won 21-17, 21-13 to make it a 2-0 team score. It was the final win at home for the senior Gamecocks, moving their season record together to 20-4, making them the 11th pair in program history to reach 20 wins together in a single season.
Jess Vastine capped her career at home with a 21-14, 21-13 sweep in the three that clinched the overall team win, and it was a special victory for the senior. It marked her 50th career win, making her the ninth individual in program history to reach the milestone. Smith and Vastine head into the postseason with a 15-1 overall record as a pair.
Another illustrious career closing on Wheeler Beach Saturday was Katie Smith’s. She earned her third win of the weekend in straight sets with teammate Skylar Allen, taking the top court match 21-17, 21-16 for the team’s final point of the dual. She moves ever closer to Macie Tendrich’s career wins record of 93, standing just one away from matching her former teammate with postseason play on the horizon.
UP NEXT
The team will now prepare for the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association’s postseason tournament, which runs April 23-25 in Huntsville, Ala. Full seeding, matchups and postseason awards will be announced in the days leading up to the tournament.
RESULTS
No. 16 South Carolina 5, Erskine College 0
1. Skylar Allen/Katie Smith (SC) def. Morgan Browne/Olivia Browne (ERSKINE) 21-14, 21-6
2. Avery Davis/Madison Brabham (SC) def. Allison Dutterer/Alyssa Pagan (ERSKINE) 21-15, 21-15
3. Hannah Mackenhausen/Alyssa Keller (SC) def. Emily Alanis/Emily Gilbert (ERSKINE) 21-3, 21-9
4. Carly Schnieder/Jess Vastine (SC) def. Mallory Carter/Karina Petrovich (ERSKINE) 21-17, 21-10
5. Ashley Brasfield/Louise Kooiman (SC) def. Allison Carter/Maisy Garner (ERSKINE) 21-19, 21-14
Ext. Peyton Gray/Sophie Manson (SC) def. Rae Stackley/Marissa Possenriede (ERSKINE) 21-13, 21-12
Order of finish: 4,5,3*,1,2
*-Deciding Point
No. 16 South Carolina 4, College of Charleston 1
1. Skylar Allen/Katie Smith (SC) def. Sky Benjamin/Rebecca Olariu (COFC) 21-17, 21-16
2. Ella Ridinger/Logan Manusky (COFC) def. Avery Davis/Madison Brabham (SC) 21-19, 16-21, 16-14
3. Jordan Smith/Jess Vastine (SC) def. Maria Zweig/Ella Reames (COFC) 21-14, 21-13
4. Hannah Mackenhausen/Alyssa Keller (SC) def. Amani Dunston/Emma Falk (COFC) 21-14, 21-13
5. Carly Schnieder/Morgyn Greer (SC) def. Marie Martinsen/Kyra Thompson (COFC) 21-17, 21-13
Ext. Kaeli Crews/Abby Carroll (SC) def. Hazel Brown/Jasmin Goei (COFC) 21-16, 21-17
Order of finish: 4,5,3*,1,2
