Beach Volleyball Ends Tournament Run Saturday

HUNTSVILLE, ALA. – South Carolina beach volleyball’s run for a conference title ended Saturday afternoon, as the Gamecocks dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 7 TCU (26-7) in the elimination round of the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association tournament. The team ends its scheduled season with a 23-9 overall record.
 
The day started with an elimination dual with College of Charleston (11-13-1). South Carolina got on the board early with sweeps at the top two pairings, but the Cougars pressed back and the dual moved to a third set on courts three, four and five. Similar to the team’s win over Tulane on Friday, all three matches went South Carolina’s way. Jess Vastine and Jordan Smith clinched the dual with a 15-12 third-set win at number three, followed close behind by Alyssa Keller and Hannah Mackenhausen at the fours and Morgyn Greer and Carly Schnieder at the fives.
 
Playing for a spot in the semifinal against the three seed TCU, the dual would move quick. Both teams claimed decisive sweeps on four of the courts; South Carolina won at number one and number five while the Frogs won at two and three. That put all eyes on court four, where Keller and Mackenhausen rallied after a close 22-20 loss in their first set to win 21-19 and force a third set to decide the entire dual. TCU came out strong and built a big 8-2 lead in the set to 15; South Carolina’s freshmen pairing did bounce back but were unable to erase the early deficit and fell 15-10.
 
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QUOTABLE: HEAD COACH MORITZ MORITZ
This team showed a lot of resilience, an ability to improvise and respond with composure all weekend. We played a tough Tulane team to start the weekend, then at a moment’s notice had to gear up for one of the best team’s in the country in Florida State. We had some great moments where individuals stepped up and played big, I think the only regret is that we weren’t able to see all five pairs click at the same time. Katie and Skylar were incredible all weekend, they showed that they are one of the best pairs in the country and I think it’s unfortunate that they’ve been so overlooked in the national conversation. They grinded out a win over a veteran Florida State pair and finished the tournament with by sweeping an all-conference pair from TCU. It was fun to watch, not just as a coach but as a volleyball fan. Obviously we would love to continue playing, but I think you have to have the perspective and gratitude that we made it through the entire season healthy and had every opportunity to compete and grow. That is a victory in and of itself.

NOTABLE

• South Carolina finishes the 2021 season with a 23-9 overall record. The 23 wins are tied for the second-highest total in program history, and its 12 regular season wins against CCSA opponents is a single-season record.
• All nine of South Carolina’s losses this season came against nationally ranked opponents. The Gamecocks’ 14 total duals against ranked teams is the third-highest single-season total in program history.
• Katie Smith and Skylar Allen finished the weekend with a perfect 4-0 record, including wins over the top pairs for No. 3 Florida State and No. 7 TCU. The pair finishes the season 16-6 together on court one, with an 8-7 record against nationally ranked opponents. Only Cadie Bates and Shannon Williams in 2019 (17) have more single-season wins in the top pairing, but Allen and Smith’s .727 win percentage is a program single-season record for playing on the top court.
• Individually, Allen ended the season with a 20-10 record on the top court. She is the first Gamecock to win 20 matches on the top court in a single season; the previous high was 17. Smith slides right in behind her partner with a season record of 17-7 on the top court
• With four more wins, Smith ends her career at South Carolina with 96 career dual wins and 99 career wins overall – both are program records. Of those 96 dual wins, 37 have come in the top pairing and 58 in the second pairing.
• With two wins together at the tournament, Jess Vastine and Jordan Smith end the season sharing the team lead for individual wins with Carly Schnieder. The trio finished with 26, just one shy of matching Macie Tendrich’s 2017 record of 27 wins in a single season. Smith’s final record of 26-4 gives her a final win percentage of .867, a single-season record for the program. Schnieder’s 26 wins is a record for a Gamecock senior, breaking a previous mark of 24 held by three individuals (Dri Culbert, Leah Perri and Macie Tendrich).
• As a pair, Vastine and Smith went 17-3 on the year, that .850 win percentage is the highest for a single season in program history.
• Schnieder and Morgyn Greer ended the weekend with a 3-1 record, pushing the pair’s final season record to 23-5. That is the third-highest single-season win total by a Gamecock pair in program history. Schnieder leaves South Carolina with 92 career wins, the third-highest total in program history.