BOCA RATON, FLA. – The beach volleyball team wrapped up its weekend at the Beach Burrow Bash at FAU on Sunday, battling through two more tight duals on the way to a split. The Gamecocks defeated FGCU (13-18) to lead off the day, 4-1, but came just a few points shy of finishing the tournament with a second win, losing 3-2 to the 18th-ranked host Owls (16-14). With one weekend left in the regular season, South Carolina’s record stands at 17-11 overall.
The team started off with a matchup with FGCU that would be tight across the sand, only one of the five matches would end with a result that wasn’t either in three sets or in deuce set scores. The Gamecocks got a big momentum boost early, when Sophie Bengoechea and VB Trost won in three sets on court five to push Carolina ahead 2-1 in the team score. Allison Coens and Hannah Mackenhausen clinched the team’s overall win with a 21-17, 21-17 sweep on court two, and Morgan Downs and Peyton Yamagata finished the game with a three-set win on four.
In the tournament finale, the Owls took the early lead after sweeping court one and winning a razor-thin margin on court five, 18-21, 21-19, 15-13. South Carolina bounced back to tie the team score at 2-2 after Coens and Mackenhausen won their match on two, but FAU clinched the victory with a sweep on four.
UP NEXT
The regular season will come to a close on South Carolina’s home sand, when it hosts the Gamecock Grand Slam April 19-20. The two-day tournament pits the Gamecocks against Jacksonville and LSU on Friday, then Coastal Carolina and Georgia State on Saturday.
For continued updates on the team, follow @GamecockBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram.
RESULTS
South Carolina 4, FGCU 1
- Shelby Beisner and Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def. Skylar Allen and Riley Whitesides (SC) 21-19, 23-21
- Allison Coens and Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) def. Nicole De Oliveira and Kacie Johnson (FGCU) 21-17, 21-17
- Jolie Cranford and Julia Waugh (SC) def. Emma Soncrant and Kaitlyn Luebbers (FGCU) 23-21, 21-13
- Morgan Downs and Peyton Yamagata (SC) def. Jacqueline Carpenter and Mia Thompson (FGCU) 21-14, 15-21, 15-12
- VB Trost and Sophie Bengoechea (SC) def. Sydney Majick and Skylar English (FGCU) 21-14, 12-21, 15-12
Order of Finish: 3, 5, 1, 2*, 4
*- Deciding Point
#18 FAU 3, South Carolina 2
- Ashleigh Adams and Julie Honzovicova (FAU) def. Skylar Allen and Riley Whitesides (SC) 21-16, 21-18
- Allison Coens and Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) def. Sloane Woolwine and Marketa Svozilova (FAU) 21-14,…