No. 17 Gamecocks Split Results in Final Regular Season Tournament

DELAND, Fla. – The No. 17 South Carolina beach volleyball team split results on Saturday afternoon in Deland, Fla., in the final regular season tournament. The Gamecocks defeated UNCW 4-1 but fell short to #18 North Florida 3-2.

The Gamecocks picked up right where they left off, earning four first-set wins from courts one, two, four and five. Juju Quintero and Julia Waugh picked up the first win of the day from court four, in dominating fashion. The duo defeated UNCW, 21-13, 21-8. Sadie Nelson and VB Trost were the next to finish, earning another point for the Gamecocks with a 21-13, 21-15 win. Following suit and clinching the match was the No. 2 duo of Brooke Balue and Rachel Hartmann, who secured a 21-18, 21-16 victory. This win marked Balue’s 50th of her career. Pairs one and three were battling it out in third sets. Jolie Cranford and Peyton Yamagata fought hard but ultimately fell in three sets to the top UNCW pair. Evie Ziffer and Lauren Lawson picked up one more win for South Carolina from court three to wrap up the first match of the day.

Against the Ospreys, the Gamecocks were able to notch three first-set wins to set the tone. Balue and Hartmann got on the board first with a dominant 21-12, 21-14 win from court two. The top pair of Cranford and Yamagata grabbed another win, defeating the top UNF pair 21-16, 21-13. This win also marked the 75th victory of Cranford’s career. North Florida was able to get on the board with a win over Morgan Downs and Amelia Taft from court five. Pairs three and four were fighting back in extra sets. The Opsreys were able to tie things up with a tight 17-15 third-set win over Waugh and Quintero. Despite a hard fight from Lawson and Ziffer, North Florida ran away with the court win and overall match win.

The Gamecocks return to action for the Big 12 Beach Volleyball Tournament in Tucson, Ariz., from April 23-24.

No. 17 South Carolina 4, UNCW 1

1. Gracie Sistrunk/Lyvia Trimp (UNCW) def. Jolie Cranford/Peyton Yamagata (SC) 14-21, 21-14, 15-13
2. Brooke Balue/Rachel Hartmann (SC) def. Gabby LaPata/Sarah Thompson (UNCW) 21-18, 21-16
3. Evie Ziffer/Lauren Lawson (SC) def. Traci Schrock/Keenan Engebretson (UNCW) 13-21, 21-18, 15-11
4. Juju Quintero/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Alise Barbour/Alivia Hamel (UNCW) 21-13, 21-8
5. Sadie Nelson/VB Trost (SC) def. Hannah Parkinson/Addie Marinack (UNCW) 21-13, 21-15.

No. 17 South Carolina 3, No. 18 North Florida 2

1. Jolie Cranford/Peyton Yamagata (SC) def. Mackenzie Murphy/Cameron Humphries (UNF) 21-16, 21-13
2. Brooke Balue/Rachel Hartmann (SC) DEF. An De Silva Eneisas/Alexandra Hennessey (UNF) 21-12, 21-14
3. Presley Murray/Sam Crosby (UNF) def. Evie Ziffer/Lauren Lawson (SC) 21-18, 18-21, 15-11
4. Juju Quintero/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Sophie Notaro/Kamryn McDonald (UNF) 21-13, 17-21, 15-11
5. Eden Anderson/Ally Bunch (UNF) def. Morgan Downs/Amelia Taft (SC) 21-17, 22-20