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Gamecocks Claim Two Ranked Victories on Friday
Beach Volleyball  . 

Gamecocks Claim Two Ranked Victories on Friday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – For the first time in over seven years, South Carolina beach volleyball recorded a pair of wins over ranked opponents on a single day, starting its final weekend of the regular season Friday with wins over No. 20 FGCU (4-1) and No. 15 Georgia State (3-2). The Gamecocks improve to 13-14 for the season after Friday.

The team opened the weekend with impactful rallies in the first wave of tournament play, which would be a prevailing theme for the day. In the morning against FGCU (19-11), the Gamecocks dropped the opening sets on courts four and five but rallied back to force third sets. VB Trost and Juju Quintero avenged a close 24-22 loss in their first set on court four with a 21-16, 15-13 rally for the first point of the dual. On court five, Sadie Nelson and Reagan Elizondo needed a late rally to cap their comeback; FGCU ran out to an 8-3 lead in the third set, but the duo scored a critical point with a 15-13 decision.

Those early victories would provide all the momentum South Carolina would need; Rachel Hartmann and Riley Whitesides put a bow on the team victory with a 21-14, 21-19 sweep on court three for the lone straight-set victory of the dual and made it a 3-0 advantage. Jolie Cranford and Julia Waugh provided the final point of the afternoon for Carolina, again overcoming a loss in set one and winning 17-21, 21-16, 15-13.

In the evening against Georgia State (17-14), the Panthers pounced with a quick victory on court five and a comeback win in three sets on court four to take the 2-0. Needing all three matches in the second wave of action, South Carolina got a big shot of momentum from Hartmann and Whitesides, who swept court two with a 21-18, 21-14 decision.

The final two courts, one and three, would find their way to third sets, and both would trade point-for-point until late breaks for the home side. Jolie Cranford and Julia Waugh struck first, with Waugh hammering home several clutch kills late in a 15-13 win to tie the team score at 2-2. The dual fell to Morgan Downs and Evie Ziffer on court three, the pair broke away from an 11-all tie in the third to win 15-11 after a Georgia State attack error.

NOTABLE

  • Prior to the dual against Georgia State, the Gamecocks honored six graduating members of the program: Jordan Benoit, Hanna Bissler, Rachel Hartmann, Kristen Schenck, Kennedy Westendorff and Riley Whitesides.
  • The last time South Carolina won a dual after starting down two points was March 16, 2019, also against a ranked Georgia State squad.
  • Friday marked the first time since February 24, 2018 that South Carolina defeated two ranked opponents in a single day. The Gamecocks’ last time winning back-to-back ranked matchups came on days one and two of the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association postseason tournament last April, beating No. 17 GCU on April 26 and No. 10 LSU on April 27.
  • This is the ninth season in program history with multiple wins over ranked opponents.
  • Georgia State brought a six-game win streak over South Carolina into the weekend; five of the last seven duals have been decided by a 3-2 margin.
  • With two wins over ranked opponents on Friday, junior Jolie Cranford passed Ali Denney (2017-18) to move into eighth place in program history for career wins over ranked opponents, now with 18.

 UP NEXT
Saturday will be the final day of the regular season, and features season rematches with Jacksonville and Coastal Carolina. The Gamecocks defeated the Dolphins in week one of the spring, and lost to the Chanticleers in March at home.

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

RESULTS
South Carolina 4, #20 FGCU 1

  1. Jolie Cranford/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 17-21, 21-16, 15-13
  2. Ava Lilliquist/Alexis Keeter (FGCU) def. Morgan Downs/Evie Ziffer (SC) 16-21, 21-12, 16-14
  3. Riley Whitesides/Rachel Hartmann (SC) def. Emma Soncrant/Jacqueline Carpenter (FGCU) 21-14, 21-19
  4. VB Trost/Julianna Quintero (SC) def. Andrea Dietz/Mia Thompson (FGCU) 22-24, 21-16, 15-13
  5. Sadie Nelson/Reagan Elizondo (SC) def. Erin Miller/Sydney Majick (FGCU) 18-21, 21-17, 15-13

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

South Carolina 3, #15 Georgia State 2

  1. Jolie Cranford/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Savannah Ebarb/Destiny White (GSU) 17-21, 21-12, 15-13
  2. Riley Whitesides/Rachel Hartmann (SC) def. Ayla Johnson/Aliisa Vuorinen (GSU) 21-18, 21-14
  3. Morgan Downs/Evie Ziffer (SC) def. Ellie Neville/Ella Mozeleski (GSU) 21-16, 19-21, 15-11
  4. Danica Singleton/Michaela Jefferson (GSU) def. VB Trost/Julianna Quintero (SC) 19-21, 21-15, 15-10
  5. Kealy Dirner/Kaebre Sullivan (GSU) def. Sadie Nelson/Reagan Elizondo (SC) 21-19, 21-16

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

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