Gamecocks Face Deep Field in Midseason CCSA Tournament

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – Three ranked foes await South Carolina beach volleyball as it heads to Tallahassee for the CCSA Midseason Tournament, hosted by No. 5 Florida State. Running from Saturday, March 23 to Sunday, the Gamecocks will face the host Seminoles along with No. 18 Grand Canyon, No. 8 LSU and Jacksonville, with two duals each day.

In their last competition, South Carolina went 3-1 over two days at the Sugar Beach Bash in Youngsville, La. The Gamecocks defeated UAB, Boise State and Southeastern Louisiana to improve to 10-6 for the season.

GRAND CANYON (Saturday, March 23 @ 12PM)

• The Lopes are a deceptive 4-8 so far this season, with all eight losses coming to opponents ranked inside the top 20. The team is under new leadership, with former assistant coach Abra Rummel elevated to the top position after the 2023 campaign.
• GCU has finished in the top 10 nationally in each of the last three seasons, but are currently going through a youth movement with 14 players on the roster that are either a sophomore or true freshman. The team is led by No. 1 pairing Krista Rowan and Sophia Hladyniuk.

FLORIDA STATE (Saturday, March 23 @ 2:30PM)

• In its last time out, Florida State won two duals in the annual East vs. West Tournament in Manhattan Beach, California, defeating No. 12 Hawaii and No. 10 LMU but did pick up its first losses of the season, at the hands of No. 6 Cal and No. 2 UCLA.
• The team is led by fifth-year standout Maddie Anderson, a three-time All-American and the unanimous CCSA Preseason Player of the Year. Florida State made the semifinal round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Seminoles are three-time national runners-up and come into the week ranked fifth in the nation.

LSU (Sunday, March 24 @ 9AM)

• The Tigers were also a participant in the East vs. West Tournament last weekend, taking down No. 6 California and No. 10 LMU.
• Led by AVCA First Team All-American from 2023, Ellie Shank, LSU also got a boost with the addition of College of Charleston transfer Gabi Bailey. She stepped right into the top of the team’s lineup this spring and already has five wins on the No. 1 position.

JACKSONVILLE (Sunday, March 24 @ 2PM)

• The Dolphins enter the weekend at 8-10 overall, most recently picking up wins over UNCW and College of Charleston last weekend at Stetson. Jacksonville also came just shy of upsetting the nationally ranked Hatters, losing 3-2.
• Anna Erickson and Olivia Szyszkiewicz hołd down the top spot in the lineup and already boast strong results at No. 1 with wins over UNCW and FGCU.

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