No. 19 Beach Volleyball Upsets No. 11 Arizona State, Falls to No. 7 TCU

FORT WORTH, Texas – The No. 19 South Carolina beach volleyball team split results on the first day of the Big 12 Preview in Fort Worth, Texas. The Gamecocks upset No. 11 Arizona State with a 3-2 victory. However, the reigning national champions, TCU, claimed a 5-0 victory in the second match of the day.

The Gamecocks began the morning by taking on No. 11 Arizona State. Juju Quintero and Lauren Lawson set the tempo, claiming a first-set win from the fourth spot. The pair went on to grab the first point of the day, winning in straight sets, 21-16, 21-12. Morgan Downs and Amelia Taft competed hard all the way to a third set, where they claimed the point and gave South Carolina a 2-0 advantage.

Heading into the second wave of play, Arizona State was able to tie things up when they grabbed wins from the first and second pairs. It all came down to Jolie Cranford and Peyton Yamagata, who were battling it out in the third set after dropping their first set. The Gamecock duo was able to run away with a 15-13 win, sealing the upset for South Carolina.

Despite hard-fought battles across all pairs, TCU jumped out to a 4-0 lead and ultimately clinched the match. Cranford and Yamagata battled hard once again and forced the Horned Frog duo to a third set. The two pairs kept things close, trading points back-and-forth until TCU was able to run away with a 21-19 third-set win.

The Gamecocks will be back in action tomorrow for two final matches of the week. Specific match times and opponents are TBD.

No. 19 South Carolina 3, No. 11 Arizona State 2

1. Ava Kirunchyk/Samaya Morin (ASU) def. Brooke Balue/Rachel Hartmann (SC) 24-22, 21-12
2. Olivia McElroy/Daniella Kensinger (ASU) def. Evie Ziffer/Julia Waugh (SC) 21-16, 21-15
3. Jolie Cranford/Peyton Yamagata (SC) def. Zoe Taylor/Arden Besecker (ASU) 18-21, 21-19, 15-13
4. Juju Quintero/Lauren Lawson (SC) def. McKenna Flaherty/Kristin Gilmour (ASU) 21-16, 21-12
5. Morgan Downs/Amelia Taft (SC) def. Reagan Hope/Kaydon Meyers (ASU) 17-21, 23-21, 16-14

No. 19 South Carolina 0, No. 7 TCU 5

1. Elea Beutel/Kaitlyn Bradley (TCU) def. Brooke Balue/Rachel Hartmann (SC) 22-20, 21-16
2. Anhelina Khmil/Natalie Glenn (TCU) def. Evie Ziffer/Julia Waugh (SC) 21-15, 21-16
3. Marcela Mattoso/Denie Konstantinova (TCU) def. Jolie Cranford/Peyton Yamagata (SC) 21-19, 17-21, 21-19
4. Stacy Reeves/Sofia Izuzquiza (TCU) def. Juju Quintero/Lauren Lawson (SC) 22-20, 21-16
5. Hannah Taylor/Melina Mol (TCU) def. Morgan Downs/Amelia Taft (SC) 21-8, 21-13