COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Beach volleyball begins the month of March with its first home weekend of the spring, hosting the Wheeler Beach Bash. The tournament runs Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3 with matches against Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina, UNCW and College of Charleston.
This spring, attendance at home matches at Wheeler Beach is again free and open to the general public. Please continue to follow the athletics department’s clear bag policy. Fan entrance is only permitted on the north side of the facility through the main gate and only participating teams and game-day personnel are permitted on the sand surface. Fans are encouraged to park at metered spots around Heyward Street, pictured below. The gravel lot between Heyward Street and the outdoor tennis facility is only open when weather permits. Please refer to the athletics village parking guide site (updated weekly) for the most up-to-date information.
- South Carolina lost seven of the 10 total matches in three sets on Friday. Six of those seven three-set losses came after the Gamecocks won the opening set of the match.
- The Gamecocks saw all five courts go the distance in the loss to No. 11 FAU. The last time a Carolina dual had five three-set matches, it was March 18, 2023 when the team beat No. 5 LMU, 3-2.
- Nine sets total were decided by the minimum two points on Friday, with the Gamecocks winning two of the nine. Three of the deuce scores came in third sets vs. FAU, all won by the Owls.
- The team’s luck in three-set matches carried into Saturday’s duals, as Arizona State took a 2-0 lead in the team score with three-set victories on courts four and five and ended with a 4-1 final.
- Skylar Allen and Allison Coens scored the team’s lone point in the dual with ASU, sweeping on court one. For Allen, it was her 20th career win over a ranked opponent. Only five other Gamecocks have as many ranked wins.
- Four Gamecocks made their first starts in the Garnet and Black over the weekend: senior transfer Peyton Yamagata (at Nos. 1 and 2), freshman Abigail Lagemann (at Nos. 2 and 3), sophomore Morgan Downs (at No. 4) and freshman Evie Ziffer (at No. 5).
- Yamagata previously played three seasons at TCU; her starts at No. 2 and No. 1 are the first time in her career playing in the top two positions of the lineup.
- Tampa is coming off a championship season where it won the program’s third AVCA Division II National Championship, all coming over the last…