Beach Volleyball Secures Pair of Sunday Victories

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A blustery day on Wheeler Beach would not deter South Carolina, as its beach volleyball team took home two wins on Sunday to close out the Carolina Challenge. The Gamecocks defeated New Orleans (6-5) in the morning and swept Eastern Kentucky (6-6) to improve their record to 7-5 after three weeks of action.

The team rolled out a brand-new look in the opening wave of matches, starting sophomore VB Trost and freshman Julia Waugh in the fourth flight and graduate student McKenzie Nichols and freshman Evie Ziffer in the fifth against New Orleans. Trost and Waugh made their debut a memorable one, dominating court four with a 21-11, 21-10 sweep. Nichols and Ziffer dropped their first set, but rallied back to force a third set with a 21-15 win. In the third, the Gamecocks trailed 7-6 mid-way through the set to 15, but a 6-1 run from there gave Carolina a lead it would not give back in a 15-11 win. In the second wave, New Orleans got on the board with a 21-19, 21-19 win on court three, but the Gamecocks clinched the team win with a 21-15, 21-18 sweep on court two by Skylar Allen and Allison Coens.

The fours and fives got the team off to another strong start in the weekend finale against the Colonels. Both Waugh and Trost, and Nichols and Ziffer would sweep to start the dual out. Jolie Cranford and Peyton Yamagata bounced back after a tight loss in the morning to clinch the team victory with a 21-16, 21-14 sweep on court three. To close out the weekend, Hannah Mackenhausen and Riley Whitesides ran their personal win streak to nine games, earning the final point of the dual with a 18-21, 21-18, 15-9 win on court one.

NOTABLE

• Four Gamecocks earned their first collegiate wins in the Sunday morning dual with New Orleans: sophomore VB Trost, freshmen Julia Waugh and Evie Ziffer, and graduate transfer McKenzie Nichols. The quartet won on four and five to stake the team a 2-0 lead.
• Through the team’s first 12 matches, South Carolina has seven different players record their first career wins.
• With two more wins Sunday, Hannah Mackenhausen and Riley Whitesides run their season record together to 10-2. The pair is on a nine-game win streak, losing three sets total during the run.

 UP NEXT
The team will spend the final two weekend of competition in March on the road. The swing starts next weekend, March 15-16, with the Sugar Beach Bash, hosted in Youngville, La. by Southeastern Louisiana. The two-day tournament pits South Carolina against Tulane, UAB and Boise State, along with the host Lions.

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

RESULTS
South Carolina 4, New Orleans 1

1. Riley Whitesides/Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) def. Maria Ozaeta/Valerie Vujnovich (UNO) 21-13, 16-21, 15-8
2. Skylar Allen/Allison Coens (SC) def. Hannah Volpi/Bria Garmon (UNO) 21-15, 21-18
3. Anne Marie Hardouin/Serena Baumgart (UNO) def. Jolie Cranford/Peyton Yamagata (SC) 21-19, 21-19
4. VB Trost/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Ashley Salazar/Rita Zecchin (UNO) 21-11, 21-10
5. McKenzie Nichols/Evie Ziffer (SC) def. Stephanie Gonzalez/Ivana de Carvalho Pei10 (UNO) 19-21, 21-15, 15-11
   Ex. Kristen Schenck/Hanna Bissler (SC) def. Nikelle Lander/Ola Filip (UNO) 21-14, 29-27
   Order of finish: 4,5,3,2*,1

North Florida 3, South Carolina 2

1. Riley Whitesides/Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) def. Paityn Walker/Sarah Mitchell (EKU) 18-21, 21-18, 15-9
2. Skylar Allen/Allison Coens (SC) def. Reagan Sanellin/Elpida Pitsigkoni (EKU) 21-9, 21-18
3. Jolie Cranford/Peyton Yamagata (SC) def. Madalyn Richardson/Riley Cutler (EKU) 21-16, 21-14
4. VB Trost/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Emily-Kate Lonergan/Gabriella Armitage (EKU) 21-16, 21-9
5. McKenzie Nichols/Evie Ziffer (SC) def. Bailey Rima/London Moultrie (EKU) 21-12, 21-18
   Ext. Rebeca Olariu/Morgan Downs (SC) def. Elizabeth Fonvielle/Molly Shomock (EKU) 21-13, 21-14
   Order of finish: 5,4,3*,2,1