Southern Miss
(4) South Carolina
Golden Eagles Drop Heartbreaker to South Carolina
4/20/2019 12:09:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
EMERSON, Georgia. -Â The Southern Miss beach volleyball team concluded its historic season with a 4-1 loss to No. 11 South Carolina at the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Championships. The fourth-seeded Gamecocks eliminated the Golden Eagles from the Championships at the LakePoint Sports Complex and move on the quarterfinal round on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday's contest was played in chilly temperatures with a steady drizzle of rain. South Carolina jumped to an early lead after sweeping Jessica Austin and Madison Lawler, 21-12, 21-17. The Golden Eagles answered back immediately when Kylie Grandy and Abbey Wilson swept the Gamecocks' top pairing, 21-16, 21-16. Olivia Hepworth and Cyan Blackdeer fell in straight sets at the fifth pairing, while Breleigh Favre and Kellie Garraway fell at the third pairing. The duo was two points away from forcing a third set.Â
Fighting for one last point, Lindsey Legg and Piper Matsumoto went wire-to-wire with South Carolina on court two. Legg and Matsumoto responded from a 10-point loss in the first set by hanging on for a 21-19 win in the second set. The Golden Eagle pair fell behind early in the third set but were able to climb back into it. However, South Carolina outlasted the duo for a 15-12 third-set win.
Southern Miss ends its inaugural season with 11 wins to its name. The Golden Eagles are just one of four NCAA Division I Beach Volleyball teams to record at least 11 wins in their inaugural season. They finished five wins shy of Florida State's record-setting 16 wins.Â
#13 South Carolina 4, Southern Mississippi 1
1: Kylie Grandy/Abbey Wilson (USM) def. Bates/Williams (USC) 21-16, 21-16
2: Dimke/Smith (USC) def. Piper Matsumoto/Lindsey Legg (USM) 21-11, 19-21, 15-12
3: Harrison/Edelma (USC) def. Kellie Garraway/Breleigh Favre (USM) 21-11, 24-22
4: Vastine/Ballard (USC) def. Olivia Hepworth/Cyan Blackdeer (USM) 21-16, 21-16
5: Gillis/Schneider (USC) def. Jessica Austin/Madison Lawler (USM) 21-12, 21-17
