Beach Volleyball Kicks off Conference Tournament Thursday Morning

HUNTSVILLE, ALA. – South Carolina beach volleyball begins its postseason run on Thursday, April 28 when the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association’s (CCSA) conference tournament begins. The double-elimination tournament is held at the John Hunt Sand Volleyball Complex in Huntsville, Ala. The Gamecocks, entering the tournament ranked 19th nationally and holding a 20-10 overall record, face Tulane in the first round. The dual will be the first of the tournament, starting at 9:30 a.m. CT.

SCOUTING TULANE
The Wave are 22-11 entering the tournament and are the lone team receiving votes in the weekly coaches top-20 poll. Tulane and South Carolina met previously this season on March 20 at the March to May tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Gamecocks won the dual 4-1, but needed three-set wins on courts one and two to secure the team victory. Tulane is led on court one by Maddie Speicher and Kendall Peters, who have 16 wins together in the top pairing. South Carolina leads the all-time series with Tulane, 11-2. The team’s last loss in the series came during the 2017 conference tournament.

GAMECOCKS COLLECT POSTSEASON HONORS
The CCSA announced the conference’s annual postseason awards on Wedensday, five Gamecocks were recognized. Lauren Wilcock made the five-woman All-Freshman team, making her just the third Gamecock in program history to make the list (Ali Denney and Katie Smith, 2017). On the CCSA’s All-Academic team, four more individuals were honored: Skylar Allen, Whitley Ballard, Kaeli Crews and Jordan Smith. It’s the most individuals ever to make the cut for South Carolina, and Smith became the first Gamecock to be a two-time honoree.

RECORD KEEPING
South Carolina’s record books may look a little different after the team’s weekend in Huntsville. Here are some records and milestones that are up for grabs during the CCSA tournament:

• Jordan Smith is three wins from moving up to seventh in program history for career victories (currently with 53).
• Skylar Allen is one start away from entering the program’s top 10 for most in a career (currently with 72).
• Smith and Lauren Wilcock need one more win together to reach 20 for the season, which would move them into a tie for most in a single season in program history.
• Kaeli Crews and Hannah Mackenhausen need two wins together to reach 20 for the season.
• Wilcock’s team-high 24 wins as an individual puts her just three behind Macie Tendrich’s single-season program record of 27 victories.
• Mackenhausen’s 23 wins individually are three behind Tendrich’s 2016 record for most wins by a sophomore in program history.

20-20-20-20-20-20 VISION
South Carolina’s sweep of Erskine on April 20 locked in the team’s sixth 20-win season in program history. Counting only completed seasons the six seasons have come all in a row, starting back in 2016. During this run, the program’s overall record stands at 125-73 (.628).
 

ALL-TIME RECORDS

• South Carolina holds a 154-92 (.626) all-time program record, dating back to 2014.
• The Gamecocks joined the CCSA for volleyball in 2016, and have an all-time conference record of 46-33 (.582).
• In matches at Wheeler Beach, Carolina is 68-24 (.739).
• Moritz Moritz is in his ninth season as head coach of the Gamecocks, spanning the entire young history of the program. He earned his 150th career win vs. College of Charleston on April 9, 2022.