Beach Volleyball Splits Final Day in Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, LA. – Gamecock beach volleyball ended its final road trip of the regular season on Sunday at the Battle on the Bayou, hosted by LSU. The team had to overcome a shorthanded lineup after a pregame injury, but battled back to split its two duals, falling 3-2 to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (17-11) but rallying for a 3-2 win over Houston Christian (10-14). With one weekend to go before postseason play, the Gamecocks’ record stands at 11-14.

The last-second lineup change hurt Carolina in the morning opener against the Islanders, who jumped ahead of the Gamecocks 2-0 after sweeps on courts four and five. Before they could rally back, Corpus Christi clinched the team victory with a 21-18, 21-18 win on court three, taking the luster out of strong three-set wins from Jolie Cranford and Julia Waugh on court one and Rachel Hartmann and Riley Whitesides on court two.

The team got a better start in the tournament finale against Houston Christian, Sadie Nelson and Juju Quintero picked up their third win of the weekend on court four with a 21-18, 21-13 sweep. The Huskies won on court five to even the score, but Carolina pulled away for the team victory thanks to sweeps by Hartmann and Whitesides on court two and VB Trost and Evie Ziffer on court three.

UP NEXT
The regular season wraps up at home next week, after over a month on the road the Gamecocks will host the Palmetto Invitational April 18-19. The tournament features season rematches with FGCU, Jacksonville and Coastal Carolina, along with a matchup with Georgia State Friday that will be the team’s senior night celebration.

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

RESULTS
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3, South Carolina 2

1. Jolie Cranford/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Tess Spaansen/Madison Morrow (TAMUCC) 23-21, 18-21, 16-14
2. Rachel Hartmann/Riley Whitesides (SC) def. Kristin Bobay/Millie Olsson (TAMUCC) 21-18, 15-21, 15-13
3. Maria Duda Fernandes/Ashlyn Rough (TAMUCC) def. VB Trost/Evie Ziffer (SC) 21-18, 21-18
4. Jade Bennett/Bryce Ranney (TAMUCC) def. Sadie Nelson/Julianna Quintero (SC) 21-16, 26-24
5. Kela Moreno/Elizabeth Cortez (TAMUCC) def. Abigail Lagemann/Kennedy Westendorff (SC) 21-19, 21-6

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

South Carolina 3, Houston Christian 2

1. Rachel Heilbrun/Kristin Gilmour (HCU) def. Jolie Cranford/Julia Waugh (SC) 14-21, 21-13, 15-10
2. Rachel Hartmann/Riley Whitesides (SC) def. Alisia Silverthorn/Paige Palmer (HCU) 21-13, 23-21
3. VB Trost/Evie Ziffer (SC) def. Lauren Vickery/Audrey Pearce (HCU) 21-16, 21-17
4. Sadie Nelson/Julianna Quintero (SC) def. Tatum Lockhardt/Alexa Landmark (HCU) 21-18, 21-13
5. Karla Sanchez George/Killian Armstrong (HCU) def. Abigail Lagemann/Kristen Schenck (SC) 18-21, 21-14, 15-12

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