Beach Volleyball Wraps Up Regular Season Action

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Gamecocks beach volleyball wrapped up the regular season with two matches Saturday, splitting duals against Jacksonville (5-0) and Coastal Carolina (3-2). The Gamecocks enter postseason play with a 14-15 record – eight of the losses coming by a 3-2 margin.

The Saturday opener against Jacksonville (11-20) would be tighter than the final 5-0 margin would suggest, the Gamecocks needed three-set wins on courts one and five to put away the Dolphins. The scoring opened with a 21-13, 21-14 sweep for VB Trost and Juju Quintero on court four, Abigail Lagemann and Sadie Nelson notched the second point thanks to a furious comeback on court five, 18-21, 21-11, 15-8. Rachel Hartmann and Riley Whitesides won the clinching third point behind a 21-13, 21-11 sweep on court two, and the team wrapped up the 5-0 sweep behind a comeback on court one from Jolie Cranford and Julia Waugh, 16-21, 21-17, 15-11.

In the weekend finale against Coastal Carolina (20-12), the Gamecocks missed an early opportunity, splitting the first wave of matches despite picking up first-set wins on courts four and five. The Chanticleers rode that momentum to first-set wins on courts one and three in the second wave; South Carolina got a quick reprieve thanks to a 21-11, 21-17 sweep on court two for Hartmann and Whitesides, but the Gamecocks couldn’t rally in time and were swept in the final two pairings.

NOTABLE

• Hartmann and Whitesides carry an eight-game win streak into postseason play, the pair are 10-4 overall with three of their four losses coming against ranked opponents.
• Whitesides and Trost are tied for the team lead for individual wins through Saturday, each with 17. It’s a new personal best for Trost, Whitesides is three away from matching her high from 2024.
• The team had 25 different pairs through the 29 duals, only two reached double figures for wins – Trost and Evie Ziffer (11-5), and Hartmann and Whitesides (10-4)
• The Gamecocks finished the weekend with a 7-3 record in three-set matches. The team has discovered its clutch gene at the perfect time; over the final two weekends of the regular season, South Carolina is 14-6 in matches that go the distance, compared to 17-22 in the six prior tournaments.
• The 59 three-set matches this spring is a program record, shattering the previous high of 52, set during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

 UP NEXT
With the regular season completed, the team will now turn its attention to the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association’s postseason tournament. This is the final year of the CCSA, and the tournament moves from Alabama to Louisiana as LSU is set to host the event, running April 25-26.

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

RESULTS
South Carolina 5, Jacksonville 0

1. Jolie Cranford/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Emily Kubicsko/Claire Mrukowski (JVILLE) 16-21, 21-17, 15-11
2. Riley Whitesides/Rachel Hartmann (SC) def. Kristina Nika/Hayden Garnett (JVILLE) 21-13, 21-11
3. Morgan Downs/Evie Ziffer (SC) def. Meredith Mrukowski/Kyelynn Swink (JVILLE) 21-17, 21-8
4. VB Trost/Julianna Quintero (SC) def. Kaitlyn Sereda/Miller Reames (JVILLE) 21-13, 21-14
5. Abigail Lagemann/Sadie Nelson (SC) def. Kelly Erhard/Morgan Perry (JVILLE) 18-21, 21-11, 15-8

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

Coastal Carolina 3, South Carolina 2

1. Frida Meincke Lyo/Emma Kunaus (CCU) def. Jolie Cranford/Julia Waugh (SC) 21-18, 21-19
2. Riley Whitesides/Rachel Hartmann (SC) def. Anna Rita/Madeline Sigmon (CCU) 21-11, 21-17
3. Kristyna Koblizkova/Maya McNabney (CCU) def. Morgan Downs/Evie Ziffer (SC) 26-24, 21-17
4. Ava Novello/Raychel Ehlers (CCU) def. VB Trost/Julianna Quintero (SC) 17-21, 21-18, 15-10
5. Abigail Lagemann/Sadie Nelson (SC) def. Celia Ryan/Karis Gordon (CCU) 21-17, 24-22

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