COLUMBIA, S.C. – Beach volleyball split the final day of its home Carolina Challenge tournament on Sunday, losing 3-2 to Tulane (10-1) before rallying to sweep UNCW (1-4). The Gamecocks end their third tournament of the spring with an 8-5 overall record.
Just over 12 hours removed from being on the right side of a 3-2 decision against No. 12 Stetson, the Gamecocks dug themselves a big hole early after losing court four and five in the opening wave against Tulane. Needing all three in the second wave, Carolina got the start it needed with sweeps from Skylar Allen and Simone Priebe on court one and Allison Coens and Hannah Mackenhausen on court two, but the Wave claimed the decisive point with a sweep on court three.
In the weekend finale, the Gamecocks jumped all over UNCW with sweeps on courts four and five. Sammy Ansel and Jillian Gleason led the way in the first wave with a 21-10, 21-12 win in their first match as a pair on court four. Allen and Priebe on court one and Kaeli Crews and Kennedy Westendorff on court four swept their matchups without letting the Seahawks break 15 points in a single set. Capping off the weekend, Coens and Mackenhausen finshed a 4-0 weekend together with a 21-19, 21-17 win on court two.
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UP NEXT
The Gamecocks hit the road again next weekend for a loaded field down in Gulf Shores, Ala. The three-day March to May tournament, hosted by UAB, pits Carolina against three of the top eight teams in the country – UCLA, Florida State and Loyola Marymount – as well as a rematch with UAB and a dual against Mercer. The tournament begins Friday, March 17 against UCLA and runs through Sunday.
RESULTS
Tulane 3, No. 19 South Carolina 2
- Skylar Allen/Simone Priebe (SC) def. Mollie Ebertin/Kendall Peters (TULANE) 21-19, 21-19
- Allison Coens/Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) def. Sara Hall/Maddie Speicher (TULANE) 21-10, 21-17
- Samantha Mehlman/Emily Heintzelman (TULANE) def. Kennedy Westendorff/Kaeli Crews (SC) 21-15, 21-16
- Ashton Mares/Abby Jackson (TULANE) def. Jolie Cranford/Lauren Wilcock (SC) 21-15, 19-21, 15-8
- Lara Toruella/Savka Popovic (TULANE) def. VB Trost/Rebeca Olariu (SC) 21-18, 21-13
Ex. Molly Todd/Sam O’Connor (TULANE) def. Hailey Cabeceiras/Riley Whitesides (SC) 21-14, 21-19
Order of Finish: 5,4,2,1,3*
*-Deciding Point
No. 19 South Carolina 5, UNCW 0
- Skylar Allen/Simone Priebe (SC) def. Gabby LaPata/Sadie Sharkey (UNCW) 21-14, 21-13
- Allison…