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Beach Volleyball Opens Home Weekend With Two Saturday Matchups
Beach Volleyball  . 

Beach Volleyball Opens Home Weekend With Two Saturday Matchups

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina beach volleyball split a pair of Saturday duals on day one of the Carolina Challenge tournament at home. The Gamecocks (6-5) defeated UNCW (4-3) by a 3-2 score in the morning, but lost a tight dual with Coastal Carolina (8-8) in the evening, 4-1.

In the weekend opener against UNCW, the Gamecocks enjoyed a blistering start to the dual with decisive sweeps on both scored courts. Carolina opened with a 21-5, 21-11 win on court five from VB Trost and Evie Ziffer, followed soon after with a 21-12, 21-11 sweep by Rachel Hartmann and Sadie Nelson. The Seahawks controlled the momentum in the second wave of matches, though, answering back with wins on courts one and three to even the team score. Jolie Cranford and Morgan Downs came through in the clutch for Carolina, coming back from a first-set loss to win 11-21, 21-19, 15-12 for the winning point in a 3-2 final.

In the afternoon against the Chanticleers, the visitors grabbed the first point of the dual with a sweep on court four, but the four other pairs would go to three sets. Trost and Ziffer dropped a windy first set, 21-18, but were able to reign in the elements and pushed back with a 21-12 win in set two and jumped ahead 8-2 in a third-set race to 15 points. After scoring 18 points in the opening set, the duo allowed just 18 points total to Coastal in the final two games for a 18-21, 21-12, 15-6 win that evened the team score at 1-1. The Gamecocks’ luck in three-setters would not carry over to the final three matches, the team would win the first sets on courts two and three but ultimately the Chanticleers would come back to take all three matches to clinch the win.

NOTABLE

  • The team recognized 27 former Gamecocks prior to the Coastal Carolina game, as part of the program’s second-ever Alumnae Reunion weekend. The group span all 12 seasons of the program, dating back to 2014.
  • Rachel Hartmann picked up her first win as a Gamecock in the morning against UNCW, winning on court four. She is the fifth member of the team to make their first start at Carolina so far this spring. Hartmann transferred to South Carolina after competing for Southeastern Louisiana last spring.
  • Jolie Cranford and Morgan Downs’ dual-clinching win on court two against UNCW was their second three-set win of the season, the last also coming against the Seahawks (Feb. 22).
  • Through 11 games, the Gamecocks have played 26 three-set matches. That’s just two fewer than the team had over a 21-game season in 2015.

UP NEXT
Day two of the Carolina Challenge features matchups with Eastern Kentucky and College of Charleston. Tentatively, the matches are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively, but are subject to change with inclement weather in the forecast.

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

RESULTS
South Carolina 3, UNCW 2

  1. Gabby LaPata/Sarah Thompson (UNCW) def. Riley Whitesides/Julia Waugh (SC) 17-21, 21-16, 15-13
  2. Jolie Cranford/Morgan Downs (SC) def. Lyvia Trimp/Grace Sistrunk (UNCW) 11-21, 21-19, 15-12
  3. Annika Thompson/Traci Schrock (UNCW) def. Abigail Lagemann/Jordan Benoit (SC) 21-18, 21-16
  4. Sadie Nelson/Rachel Hartmann (SC) def. Hannah Forbes/Maddy Folks (UNCW) 21-12, 21-11
  5. VB Trost/Evie Ziffer (SC) def. Tamsie Black/Sophia Puhala (UNCW) 21-5, 21-11

Ex. Kristen Schenck/Lauren Lawson (SC) def. Addie Marinack/Ailvia Hamel (UNCW) 21-3, 21-11

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

Coastal Carolina 4, South Carolina 1

  1. Frida Meincke Lyo/Emma Kunaus (CCU) def. Riley Whitesides/Julia Waugh (SC) 21-17, 19-21, 15-13
  2. Maya McNabney/Madeline Sigmon (CCU) def. Jolie Cranford/Morgan Downs (SC) 15-21, 21-13, 15-11
  3. Kristyna Koblizkova/Raychel Ehlers (CCU) def. Sadie Nelson/Rachel Hartmann (SC) 18-21, 21-17, 15-12
  4. Celia Ryan/Karis Gordon (CCU) def. Abigail Lagemann/Jordan Benoit (SC) 21-13, 21-16
  5. VB Trost/Evie Ziffer (SC) def. Ava Novello/Ella Wadsworth (CCU) 18-21, 21-12, 15-6

Ex. Sophie Lyen/Reagan Elizondo (SC) def. Sydney Schwanbeck/Jillian Stein (CCU) 21-17, 21-19

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

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