Beach Volleyball Splits Duals on Opening Day

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. – South Carolina beach volleyball split two matchups on day one of the Dolphin Duals Saturday. The Gamecocks (1-1) lost by a 3-2 score to No. 18 North Florida (1-0) but rallied back for a 4-1 win over UNCW (0-1).

In the morning opener, the Gamecocks came out on the wrong side of a tight match with the Ospreys. Out of the 11 sets played, six would be decided by the minimum two points. North Florida got on the board first with a 21-19, 24-22 win on court two, but Carolina got a key victory on court four to even the score. After losing 21-16 in their opener, Abigail Lagemann and Sadie Nelson rallied back for a 21-14 win in set two to extend the match, then erased another big deficit in the third for a 15-13 win.

South Carolina pushed ahead 2-1 in the team score thanks to a 23-21, 21-19 sweep on court five by Lauren Lawson and VB Trost, but UNF quickly answered with sweeps on courts one and three for the 3-2 final margin.

In the afternoon, the Gamecocks and UNCW traded off three-set decisions in the opening wave of the dual, with the Seahawks winning on court two but Lagemann and Nelson notched another clutch win on four to counter. Carolina would avoid the drama in the afternoon, using decisive wins from Lawson and Trost on court five and Jordan Benoit and Evie Ziffer on court three to push the team score to 3-1. Jolie Cranford and Morgan Downs capped the dual with a comeback win on court one, picking up their first win together by a score of 17-21, 21-17, 15-7.

NOTABLE

• Saturday marked the first time at the top of the lineup for both Jolie Cranford and Morgan Downs. Previously, Cranford’s highest position was four starts at number two, Downs had made 19 of her 29 career starts on court four, her highest position entering the season. The duo won in three sets over UNCW for their first win together in the top spot.
• Sophomore Lauren Lawson went 2-0 with partner VB Trost on court five, they are the first two wins of Lawson’s collegiate career. The Georgia native spent her freshman season at Grand Canyon and did not appear in any matches.
• Fellow transfer Jordan Benoit (Pepperdine, 2021-23) also picked up her first win as a Gamecock. She and partner Evie Ziffer won in straight sets over UNCW, earning the clinching point in the team’s dual win.

UP NEXT
The team has two more duals on Sunday to wrap up the opening weekend. Sunday morning features a 10 a.m. matchup against the host Jacksonville Dolphins, then the Gamecocks will have a scrimmage against USF at 2 p.m. The Bulls are not competing officially until 2026, so the weekend finale will not count towards team or individual records.

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

RESULTS
#18 North Florida 3, South Carolina 2

1. Murray/Murphy (UNF) def. Morgan Downs/ Jolie Cranford (SC): 21-15, 21-15
2. Feliciano Sanchez/ Espy (UNF) def. Riley Whitesides/ Julia Waugh (SC): 21-19, 24-22
3. DaSilva/ Pierce (UNF) def. Evie Ziffer/Jordan Benoit (SC): 22-20, 21-16
4. Abigail Lagemann/Sadie Nelson (SC) def. Humphries/ Wooldridge (UNF): 16-21 21-14, 15-13
5. VB Trost/ Lauren Lawson (SC) def. Guenter/ Notaro (UNF): 23-21, 21-19
   Ex. Anderson/Hardouin (UNF) def. Kennedy Westendorff/Kristen Schenck (SC): 21-16, 21-15

Order of Finish: 2,4,5,1,3*
*- Deciding Point

South Carolina 4, UNCW 1

1. Morgan Downs/ Jolie Cranford (SC) def. LaPata/Thompson (UNCW): 17-21, 21-18, 15-7
2. Sistrunk/ Trimp (UNCW) def. Riley Whitesides/ Julia Waugh (SC): 22-20, 19-21, 15-13
3. Evie Ziffer/Jordan Benoit (SC) def. Black/Folks (UNCW): 21-11, 21-17
4. Abigail Lagemann/Sadie Nelson (SC) def. Schrock/ Thompson (UNCW) 21-19, 18-21, 21-19
5. VB Trost/ Lauren Lawson (SC) def. Forbes/ Puhala (UNCW): 21-10, 21-17
   Ex. Karlyn Dyal/Sophie Lyen (SC) def. Hamel/Marinack (UNCW): 21-13, 21-13

Order of Finish: 2,4,5,3*,1
*- Deciding Point