Beach Volleyball Faces Four Ranked Foes at Florida State
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – South Carolina beach volleyball will take on four teams ranked inside the latest top-15 teams in the national coaches poll, as it travels to Florida State for the Unconquered Invitational Friday and Saturday (April 4-5). The Gamecocks face conference rivals for the first time this spring, taking on No. 8 Texas Friday and No. 10 LSU and the fifth-ranked host Seminoles on Saturday. Also included on the schedule is a non-conference dual with No. 15 FAU.
The Gamecocks (8-9) are coming off some missed opportunities on the road in Arizona, going winless over four duals last weekend. The team lost three of the four matchups by a 3-2 score. Five of the team’s nine losses so far this spring have been by the same margin, with four of the five coming against nationally ranked opponents. Jolie Cranford and Julia Waugh led the team with three wins in Arizona, including sweeps of the top pairs from No. 13 Grand Canyon and No. 19 Washington.
Florida State enters the weekend with a 19-5 overall record, coming back to Tallahassee after spending last weekend in Baton Rouge. The Seminoles picked up wins over No. 4 Southern Cal and No. 9 Long Beach State, but lost to No. 1 UCLA and No. 5 Stanford. The team is led by Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig, the pair have 19 wins together on the top court. Outside of the top position, FSU’s lineup has seen a lot of movement – six players have made starts in three or more positions in the top five.
LSU (16-7) hosted its annual Death Volley Invitational last weekend, and like Florida State it would claim wins over Southern Cal and Long Beach but lost to UCLA and Stanford. The Tigers are led by Parker Bracken and Gabi Bailey, who have a 19-4 record on court one that is highlighted by seven wins over ranked opponents over the last eight duals. LSU has shifted around its lineup this season; outside of the top two pairs, the Tigers don’t have any other duo that have played in more than 10 matches together.
Texas (17-8) have jumped up to No. 8 in the national polls after two strong weekends to close the month of March. The Longhorns have wins over No. 2 LMU, No. 11 Arizona State, No. 13 Grand Canyon and No. 9 Long Beach State in that span. The team has alternated two pairs in the number one spot for the majority of the season, rolling out Katie Hashman and Emma Grace Robertson together for the first two weeks before flipping them for Chloe Charles and Eva Liisa Kuivonen, who have held down the top position over the last four tournaments and have five ranked wins in that span.
Florida Atlantic (12-8) holds on to the No. 15 spot in this week’s poll, coming off a 2-2 weekend at Stetson that saw the Owls lose their only two ranked duals on the schedule, 5-0 to No. 7 Florida State and 3-2 to No. 16 Stetson. FAU is strongest at the top, with Marketa Svozilova and Ashleigh Adams holding a 14-2 record together on court one. The team has faced a stiff schedule this spring, with 12 of its 20 duals coming against ranked opponents.
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