Beach Volleyball Falls in Quarterfinals of Big 12 Tournament
TUCSON, Ariz. – The No. 15 South Carolina beach volleyball team fell, 3-2, to Arizona in the quarterfinal match of the 2026 Big 12 Tournament on Friday afternoon in Tucson, Ariz.
South Carolina started the day off with two first-set wins from courts three and four. Juju Quintero and Julia Waugh were the first to strike for the Gamecocks, claiming their court 21-19, 21-13. Arizona responded with a win on court one, but South Carolina edged ahead 2-1 in the overall match with another win from Evie Ziffer and Lauren Lawson. However, with a win over Brooke Balue and Rachel Hartmann, the Wildcats tied this back up at two apiece. It all came down to Morgan Downs and Amelia Taft, who were battling it out in the second set on court five. Despite Arizona claiming the first set, the Gamecocks were not done yet. The two teams went back-and-forth for 12-straight points before South Carolina jolted ahead to win the second set 28-26. The third frame started similarly, with the Wildcats and the Gamecocks trading the first 18 points. Arizona took its first lead in six points, sneaking ahead 10-9. Downs and Taft were able to tie things back up at 11. However, the Arizona pair was able to run off and win the set and overall match.
No. 15 South Carolina 2, Arizona 3
- Regan Holmer/Carlie Cisneros (UA) def. Jolie Cranford/Peyton Yamagata (SC) 21-17, 21-19
- Ashlyn Zilliken/Madeline Walker (UA) def. Brooke Balue/Rachel Hartmann (SC) 21-19, 21-18
- Evie Ziffer/Lauren Lawson (SC) def. Meghan O’Meara/Adri Nieves Papaleo (UA) 21-19, 21-13
- Juju Quintero/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Sophia Winter/Jamie Streit (UA) 21-15, 21-16
- Sadie Moore/Brooke Boyko (UA) Morgan Downs/Amelia Taft (SC) 22-20, 26-28, 15-11
