Gamecocks Open Weekend With Friday Split

ATLANTA, GA. – South Carolina beach volleyball split a pair of tight Friday duals, defeating UAB by a 3-2 score before ending the day with a 3-2 loss to No. 20 Stetson at the Georgia State Diggin’ Duals. Half of the matches over the two games went to three sets, and 14 of the 25 total sets played were decided by the minimum two points. The Gamecocks move to 14-9 for the season after Friday.

The morning opener set the tone for the day, as the Gamecocks and UAB fought point-by-point in their third matchup of the spring. Kennedy Westendorff and Jolie Cranford provided the most decisive result of the dual thanks to a 21-16, 21-16 sweep of the fourth pairing, but the Blazers countered with a three-set win in the fives to tie the dual at 1-1.

Carolina pushed ahead to a 2-1 lead thanks to a 22-20, 22-20 win for Allison Coens and Lauren Wilcock, UAB answered back with a big lead late in the third set on court one and closed in on a win on court two. Skylar Allen and Simone Priebe denied two match-point chances for UAB and ended their ones pairing on a 4-0 run to win 16-14 and clinch the team victory at 3-1, moments before the Blazers closed out the dual with the sweep on court two.

The rematch with Stetson mirrored the start of the UAB game, with each side taking a match and Cranford and Westendorff earning the sweep for Carolina. This time, though, Stetson put the pressure on with a 21-19, 21-19 nailbiter win on court three to go ahead 2-1. The final two courts went to a third set, with the Gamecocks needing both to pull out the win. Allen and Priebe again used late-game dramatics to win their ones pairing, but the Hatters won 15-13 in the third on court two to seal the win.

For continued updates on the team, follow @GamecockBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram.

UP NEXT
Saturday’s final duals feature a matchup with the host Georgia State (10:30 a.m.) and South Carolina’s first-ever meeting with UT-Martin (3 p.m.). The 11^th-ranked Panthers went 0-2 on Friday, losing to UT-Martin and Stetson.

RESULTS
No. 16 South Carolina 3, UAB 2

1. Simone Priebe/Skylar Allen (USC) def. Arden Copping/Jasmine Haas (UAB): 21-15, 19-21, 16-14
2. Mikayla Law-Heese/Brooke Pertuit (UAB) def. Kaeli Crews/Hannah Mackenhausen (USC): 24-22, 21-19
3. Lauren Wilcock/Allison Coens (USC) def. Jessica Ennis/Emma Andraka (UAB): 22-20, 22-20
4. Kennedy Westendorff/Jolie Cranford (USC) def. Ella Alexander/Adriana Pereira (UAB): 21-16, 21-16
5. Olivia Chychrun/Olivia Stant (UAB) def. Presley Wright/Samantha Ansel (USC): 21-10, 21-15, 16-14
6. Elizabeth Thompson/Peyton Gray (USC) def. Ali O’Donnell/Ellie Heflin (UAB): 17-21, 23-21, 15-12
   Order of finish: 4,5,3,1*,2 

No. 20 Stetson 3, No. 16 South Carolina

1. Simone Priebe/Skylar Allen (USC) def. Karin Zolnercikova/Shae Henson (STET): 17-21, 27-25, 17-15
2. Tori Clement/Gabi Bramante (STET) def. Lauren Wilcock/Allison Coens (USC): 22-24, 21-11, 15-13
3. Carolina Ferraris/Anete Namike (STET) def. Kaeli Crews/Hannah Mackenhausen (USC): 21-19, 21-19
4. Kennedy Westendorff/Jolie Cranford (USC) def. Lauren Della/Jenna Gathright (STET): 21-18, 22-20
5. Audrey Gauthier/Noelle Weintraub (STET) def. Elizabeth Thompson/Samantha Ansel (USC): 21-17, 13-21, 15-12
6. Chase Teal/Riley whitesides (USC) def. Aleksandra Stadnik/Klea Sirois (STET): 10-21, 23-21, 15-10
   Order of Finish 4,5,3,2*,1