Beach Volleyball Nets a Pair of Wins Saturday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina’s beach volleyball team won both of its duals at home on Saturday, defeating Austin Peay (1-5) by a 5-0 score in the morning and outlasting UAB (4-3) in a windy afternoon finale, 3-2. The Gamecocks stand at 4-1 overall after two weekends of competition.

In the morning opener against Austin Peay it would be all Gamecocks. Lauren Lawson and Kennedy Westendorff broke away from an 8-all tie in the first set and cruised to a 21-11, 21-12 sweep on court five to open the scoring for Carolina, followed by a 21-12, 21-15 sweep for VB Trost and Evie Ziffer on court four. Riley Whitesides and Julia Waugh provided the clinching third point with a 21-11, 21-14 sweep on court two; all together the Gamecocks would not drop a single set against the Governors and the closest set score was a five-point advantage.

The afternoon matchup against the Blazers was a blustery affair, with changing wind patterns keeping both sides on their toes. The two teams split the opening wave of matches, UAB opened the dual with a win on court five, but Ziffer and Trost answered soon after with a 21-19, 21-18 sweep of the fourth pairing. The two sides battled for an early advantage in the final three matches, South Carolina pushed ahead early with first-set wins on courts two and three but UAB kept pace with the first-set win on court one.

Waugh and Whitesides grinded out a tight 22-20, 21-19 win on court two to put the Gamecocks up 2-1, and Abigail Lagemann and Sadie Nelson won the dual-clinching point on court three. After a comfortable 21-14 win in the opening set, the duo gave up a late advantage but regrouped for a 26-24 win in set two. The 3-2 final margin marked the third dual in a row between the two programs with the same score, South Carolina has won 10 duals in a row over UAB.

UP NEXT
The team heads back to the Sunshine State for its second road trip of the spring, traveling to Fort Myers for the FGCU Inaugural Tournament, hosted by Florida Gulf Coast. The tournament runs Friday, March 7 to Saturday, March 8 and pits the Gamecocks against FIU and Stetson, along with a rematch from week one with North Florida as well as the host Eagles.

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

RESULTS
South Carolina 5, Austin Peay 0

1. Jolie Cranford/Morgan Downs (SC) def. Grace Austin/Jordan Morris (APSU) 21-13, 21-15
2. Riley Whitesides/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Emily Freel/Anna Kate Clark (APSU) 21-11, 21-14
3. Abigail Lagemann/Sadie Nelson (SC) def. Alyson Cooper/Bailey Lasater (APSU) 21-16, 21-13
4. VB Trost/Evie Ziffer (SC) def. Jordyn Beneteau/Gabriella MacKenzie (APSU) 21-12, 21-15
5. Kennedy Westendorff/Lauren Lawson (SC) def. Angelena Greene/Emma Loiars (APSU) 21-11, 21-12

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

South Carolina 3, UAB 2

1. Olivia Stant/Jasmine Haas (UAB) def. Jolie Cranford/Morgan Downs (SC) 21-17, 24-22
2. Riley Whitesides/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Isabel Day/Claudia Stockard (UAB) 22-20, 21-19
3. Abigail Lagemann/Sadie Nelson (SC) def. Klea Sirois/Olivia Chychrun (UAB) 21-14, 26-24
4. VB Trost/Evie Ziffer (SC) def. Sadie Sharpe/Azmabeth Infante (UAB) 21-19, 21-18
5. Ashley Torsone/Addison Atkins (UAB) def. Kennedy Westendorff/Lauren Lawson (SC) 21-14, 22-20

Ext. Sarah Smith/Alexa Smith (UAB) def. Kristen Schenck/Maggie Elliott (SC) 21-18, 19-21, 15-13

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