COLUMBIA, S.C. – Fresh off a bye week, South Carolina beach volleyball returned to action with day one of the Palmetto Invitational on Wheeler Beach. Saturday featured a pair of 4-1 home victories, first over UNCW (15-8) and then UT Martin (10-11). The Gamecocks improve to 13-9 for the season, including a 9-1 mark on their home sand.
In the morning dual with UNCW, all five courts would be decided in straight sets. The Gamecocks avoided any drama with wins on courts three, four and five to clinch the team victory early on, Jolie Cranford and Julia Waugh’s 21-13, 21-14 sweep in the threes would be the deciding point. New pairings got the team off to the strong start, with VB Trost and Morgan Downs picking up their first win together on court four and Peyton Yamagata and Sophie Bengoechea getting the win together on five.
Downs and Trost got the team off to a good start in the evening dual with UT Martin, the sophomore duo allowed just 21 points total to the Skyhawks in a 21-16, 21-5 sweep for the team’s first point. The visitors countered with a three-set win on court five to tie the score at 1-1, but South Carolina would dominate the rest of the way, picking up sweeps on each of the top three courts. The Gamecocks only allowed UT Martin to surpass 15 points in two of the six sets played on courts one, two and three; Cranford and Waugh would again be the clinching point of the 4-1 decision with a 21-14, 21-17 sweep on three.
NOTABLE
- Junior Kristen Schenck made her first career start in the evening dual with UT Martin. Out of a roster of 19 women, she is the sixth Gamecock to earn their first career start this season.
- Senior Peyton Yamagata played with her sixth different partner of the season in the UNCW dual, pairing with Sophie Bengoechea. Yamagata has at least one start in all five positions in the lineup.
- VB Trost and Morgan Downs are the 11th different pairing to represent the Gamecocks on court four this season. Despite the shifting lineups, the team holds an overall record of 14-8 in the fours.
- The two Saturday wins move the team to 9-1 at home so far this spring. Only the 2016 (14) and 2018 (11) teams have more wins on Wheeler Beach in a single season.
UP NEXT
South Carolina wraps up the home weekend on Sunday, with duals against Morehead State and Mercer. The day starts at 11 a.m. against the Eagles and finishes up at 3 p.m. against the Bears.
For continued updates on the team, follow @GamecockBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram.
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