COLUMBIA, S.C. – Inclement weather brought about an abbreviated final day of the Gamecock Grand Slam on Sunday. South Carolina beach volleyball (13-8) had it’s morning dual against Tampa canceled, but the team finally took to the sand in the evening and fell to No. 11 Georgia State (13-7) by a score of 3-2.
Over five hours of total lightning delays cost the team its morning dual against the Spartans, but the skies would clear in time for the showdown with the 11th-ranked Panthers. Carolina was slow to shake off the rust from a day spent waiting and Georgia State jumped ahead with wins in flights four and five for the 2-0 advantage.
Needing all three matches in the second wave, the Gamecocks got the momentum push they needed with set-one wins on courts one, two and three. Allison Coens and Lauren Wilcock got the rally started with a 21-15, 21-13 sweep on court three and Kaeli Crews and Hannah Mackenhausen followed close behind with a 21-14, 21-19 sweep of the twos. The dual came down to a third set on court one, after Georgia State won the second set. The Panthers broke away late for the 15-12 win and denied South Carolina the “reverse sweep” opportunity.
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UP NEXT
The team has its bye week to start April, its next competition will be a return trip to Georgia State for the Diggin’ Duals in Atlanta April 7-8. The weekend will feature rematches against not only the host Panthers, but also against Stetson and UAB over the two-day event.
RESULTS
No. 11 Georgia State 3, No. 16 South Carolina 2
- Angel Ferary/Bella Ferary (GSU) def. Skylar Allen/Simone Priebe (SC) 21-23, 21-12, 15-12
- Kaeli Crews/Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) def. Yasmin Kuck/Lila Bordis (GSU) 21-14, 21-19
- Allison Coens/Lauren Wilcock (SC) def. Kelly Dorn/Elise Saga (GSU) 21-15, 21-13
- Destiny White/Aliisa Vuorinen (GSU) def. Chase Teal/Jolie Cranford (SC) 19-21, 21-18, 15-9
- Maddy Delmonte/Ayla Johnson (GSU) def. Kennedy Westendorff/Sammy Ansel (SC) 21-19, 21-16
Order of finish: 5,4,3,2,1*