COLUMBIA, S.C. – Gamecock beach volleyball opened its final weekend of the regular season with a strong effort Friday, taking down two teams receiving votes in the national polls. South Carolina (17-10) defeated FGCU (14-16) and Coastal Carolina (21-10) by 3-2 scores.
In the morning opener against FGCU, the Eagles held the momentum early with first-set wins in the fourth and fifth pairings. The visitors struck first by closing out the fourth flight in straight sets, but Peyton Gray and Lizzie Thompson were able to rally back with a 21-18 win in the second set to extend their match. In the third, the two seniors dominated with a 15-8 win that evened the team score at 1-1, a vital momentum shift.
In the second wave of matches, Skylar Allen and Simone Priebe handled the top pairing for FGCU to push the team ahead 2-1, but the Eagles would now counter with a three-set comeback of their own. With a win on court two, the team score would be knotted at 2-2. Kaeli Crews and Hannah Mackenhausen were able to shake off a first-set loss on court three to provide the clinching win, a 15-11 final in their third set.
The evening matchup with Coastal Carolina would be an equally competitive affair, with the Gamecocks coming away with another 3-2 win. Much like the morning dual, it would be Gray and Thompson that gave Carolina an important boost early, the pair won 21-19, 21-16 in the fives to counter a sweep for the Chanticleers in the fourth flight.
The Gamecocks were able to wrap up the team win with sweeps on courts one and two in the second wave, with each win holding extra significance. On court one, Allen and Priebe won 21-18, 22-20 for their 18th win together this season in the top spot. That breaks the program record for a single season, previously held by Shannon Williams and Cadie Bates from 2019. The clinching point came on court three, with a 21-11, 26-24 win for Crews and Mackenhausen. Their win was the 30th for their careers as a pair, making them just the fourth tandem in program history to reach the milestone. It was also a personal milestone for Crews, who reached 40 career wins as an individual.
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The regular season wraps up on Saturday with duals against Jacksonville and College of Charleston at 1 p.m and 5, respectively. Before the opener against the Dolphins, the team will hold its senior day ceremony with Skylar Allen, Hailey Cabeceiras, Kaeli Crews,…