SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS 2017 MATCH NOTES

Transcription

1 SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS 2017 MATCH NOTES Beach Volleyball Contact: Joe Kepler Rice Athletics Center, 1304 Heyward Street, Columbia, S.C Office: SCHEDULE WEEKEND OPPONENTS Date Opponent Time/Result UNF SAND INVITATIONAL (St. Augustine, Fla.) 3/4 vs. 11 FIU * W, 3-2 vs. Spring Hill College 3/5 vs. College of Charleston * at North Florida GAMECOCK CHALLENGE (Columbia, S.C.) 3/11 MERCER 11 GRAND CANYON 3/12 JACKSONVILLE 3/14 COASTAL CAROLINA Dual Match UNC Wilmington (11-7) Friday, April 14, 1 PM Tulane (18-9) Friday, April 14, 6 PM Jacksonville State (4-20) Saturday, April 15, 1 PM College of Charleston (9-5) Saturday, April 15, 5 PM South Carolina leads, 2-0 Gamecocks won, 5-0 (4/2/17) South Carolina leads, 4-1 Gamecocks won, 4-1 (3/18/17) South Carolina leads, 1-0 Gamecocks won, 5-0 (3/20/16) South Carolina leads, 5-1 Gamecocks won, 5-0 (4/2/17) TIGER BEACH CHALLENGE (Baton Rouge, La.) 3/19 vs. Tulane * at 8 LSU * L, 4-1 3/20 vs. Florida Gulf Coast vs. UAB * GAMECOCK GRAND SLAM (Columbia, S.C.) 3/25 13 STETSON L, SOUTHERN CAL L, 5-0 3/26 4 FLORIDA STATE * L, GEORGIA STATE * L, 3-2 UNCW BEACH BLAST (Wilmington, N.C.) 4/1 vs. Coastal Carolina vs. Mercer 4/2 vs. College of Charleston * at UNC-Wilmington * STAYBRIDGE SUITES INVITE (Tallahassee, Fla.) 4/7 vs. 13 Florida International * vs. 14 Florida Atlantic 4/8 at 4 Florida State * L, 5-0 vs. 10 Georgia State * L, 3-2 PALMETTO INVITATIONAL (Columbia, S.C.) 4/14 UNC-WILMINGTON * 1:00 PM TULANE * (SENIOR NIGHT) 6:00 PM 4/15 JACKSONVILLE STATE 1:00 PM COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON * 5:00 PM 4/21-23 at CCSA Tournament Emerson, Ga. TBA 5/5-7 TBA at NCAA Championship Gulf Shores, Ala. All times Eastern Home matches in BOLD * - CCSA Conference match ROSTER NAME Shannon Williams Julia Mannisto Caroline Skaff Delaney Wood Macie Tendrich Jade Vitt Adrianna Culbert AJ Baumann Katie Zimmerman Erin Neuenfeldt Sarah Nacouzi Carly Schnieder Jordan Wilson-Talmadge Ali Denney Helen Recaborde Franky Harrison Hannah Sorensen Abby Feruck Hannah Edelman Katie Smith HT YR. So. Jr. So. Jr. Gr. So. Gr. Gr. EXP. 2L 2L TR TR 2L HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS SCHOOL) Ashburn, Va. (Stone Bridge) Westlake Village, Calif. (Mater Dei) Haymarket, Va. (Battlefield) Westlake, Texas (Westlake Academy) Boynton Beach, Fla. (Saint Andrews) San Diego, Calif. (La Costa Canyon) Delton, Mich. (Colorado State) Roswell, Ga. (Fellowship Christian) Cypress, Texas (Wichita State) Birmingam, Mich. (Seaholm) Raleigh, N.C. (Cardinal Gibbons) Cincinnati, Ohio (Mother of Mercy) Orlando, Fla. (First Academy) Jupiter, Fla. (The Pine School) Atlanta, Ga. (Atlanta International) Knoxville, Tenn. (Webb School) Wilmington, N.C. (Mercer) Atlanta, Ga. (Blessed Trinity) Hilton Head Island, S.C. (Hilton Head Island) West Chester, Ohio (Lakota West) COACHING STAFF Head Coach: Moritz Moritz (4th season, Colorado State, 2006) Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator: RJ Abella (4th season, Wichita State, 2009) Volunteer Assistant Coach: Luke Higgs (1st season) Director of Operations: Alyssa Taylor (2nd season) Student Managers: Collin Wilson, Courtney Smith 1

2 QUICK FACTS Location... Columbia, S.C. Founded Enrollment...32,027 Colors...Garnet (PMS 202C) & Black Nickname...Gamecocks. Affiliation... NCAA Division I Conference...Coastal Collegiate Sports Assoc. (CCSA) President... Dr. Harris Pastides Athletic Director...Ray Tanner Senior Associate AD/SWA... Judy Van Horn Faculty Athletics Representative...Dr. Valinda Littlefield Home Court Record Conference Record Conference Finish... 5th Starters Returning/Lost... 7/3 Letterwinners Returning/Lost... 8/4 Newcomers...9 MEDIA INFORMATION Director of Media Relations...Steve Fink Asst. Director/Beach VB Contact... Joe Kepler Office Phone... (803) keplerj@mailbox.sc.edu Department Website... Department Facebook... /GamecocksOnline Department Mailing Address Heyward St. Rice Athletics Center, Columbia, S.C PRONUNCIATION GUIDE AJ Baumann...Bow-men Abby Feruck...Fair-Rick Sarah Nacouzi...Nah-coo-zee Carly Schnieder...Sh-NEE-der NOTEWORTHY SCOUTING UNC-WILMINGTON The Seahawks are 11-7 this season, with a 3-3 record so far in April. UNCW has a fairly consistent lineup, with the top two pairs unchanged so far this season. Tanna Aljoe/Nicole Lott have been in the top spot, and are 11-7 so far as a pair. The team s top pair so far in 2017 has been Sydney Alvis/Sarah Kelly, who have 14 wins between the threes and fours pair. Wilmington is in its first season as a member of the CCSA, and second year overall as a beach volleyball program. SCOUTING TULANE Tulane enters the tournament with an 18-9 overall record, powered by a 3-1 weekend at the Houston Baptist Invitational. The Wave have flirted with the AVCA Top 15 rankings early this season, and is currently receiving votes in the coaches poll. Last season, Tulane went overall and do return the top two players from last season in Tea Juric (26 wins at the number one pairing) and Madeline Mertz (20 wins at the number two pairing). Juric has locked down the 2s position with current partner Kaylie McHugh, entering the weekend with a 22-5 record as a pair. Mertz and Lan Nguyen have been mainstays in the top flight, and are this season. South Carolina leads the all-time series 4-1. SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE The Gamecocks are 5-23, but with three of those wins coming in the last two weekends. Sophomores Katie Will and Jae-Lyn Visscher have been the team s top pair for the majority of the year. This is the second year for the program, and Saturday will be the second meeting ever between the two Gamecock squads. South Carolina won the previous meeting 5-0. SCOUTING COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON The program has already matched its 2016 win total, coming into the weekend at 9-5 after a 9-14 overall record last season. The Cougars returned its winningest 2016 pair in sophomores Allison Beckman and Devon Rachel (12 wins at 5). Also returning is the team s main 3 pair from 2016, Krissy Mummey and McKala Rhodes (nine wins), but with both members of the top pair graduating, the Cougars will need to find a new grouping to lead the way for Rhodes and Mummey are together in the two spot now, and are 9-5 coming into the weekend. Beckman and Rachel moved into the fours position and are 7-4 so far this year, but the team is still looking for a standout top pair after Maddie Hills and Katja Ehlers have just a 2-12 record at the ones. PRESEASON NOTABLES The Gamecocks return seven players who were mainstays in the top five pairs last season. All seven returners won 10 or more dual matches, and six won at least 15 matches will be the final go-around for the program s first-ever freshman class. The group is made up of Erin Neuenfeldt, Helen Recaborde, Jade Vitt and Jordan Wilson-Talmadge. Entering the fold this season are nine newcomers hailing from seven different states. Seven are freshmen, while two join the program as graduate transfers - Adrianna Culbert and Hannah Sorensen. NIFTY 50 Two Gamecocks have crossed the 50-win plateaus for the their careers here in the early going of Senior Jade Vitt became the second player in school history to break 50 after her win against Mercer on March 11, and junior Macie Tendrich followed right after with win No. 50 later that night over No. 11 Grand Canyon. Tendrich became the program s first junior to reach 50 wins, after Sarah Blomgren and Vitt made the milestone as seniors. FRESHMEN PHENOMS South Carolina s seven-member freshman class has been one of the biggest keys to the team s rise in the national polls. To this point in the season, the Gamecocks have a freshman locked in to four of the top five pairs: Ali Denney and Katie Smith have each spent time at the number one flight, Carly Schnieder has won 17 matches in the third/fourth flights, and Franky Harrison has 15 wins with the fives pair. On top of the starters, the team has also seen Hannah Edelman, Caroline Skaff and Sarah Nacouzi play in most of the matches out of the exhibition slot. GAMECOCKS IN THE NATIONAL RANKS For the sixth straight week, the Gamecocks made the AVCA national rankings. After debuting at No. 15 on March 6, the team went as high as ninth in the poll. After a 2-2 weekend at the Staybridge Suites Invite, South Carolina is ranked 12th. In the weekly DiG Magazine Top-20 poll, Carolina also comes in at the No. 12 position. SOUTH CAROLINA STAT LEADERS (AS OF 4/12) Kills: Katie Smith (382) Attacks: Katie Smith (830) Hitting Percentage (Min. 450 Attacks): Shannon Williams (.416) Assists: Katie Zimmerman (333) Digs: Katie Smith (352) Service Aces: Julia Mannisto (68) Blocks: Adrianna Culbert (53) 2

3 NOTEWORTHY CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS For the season, the Gamecocks as a team are out-hitting opponents.356 to.275. In sets won, the team is hitting.422, but in sets lost the percentage drops out to.233. Errors per set go from 5.7 in sets won up to 8.5 in sets lost. Offensively, South Carolina s five pairs combine to average 26.3 kills and 4.1 aces per match, opponents stand at 22.1 and 2.9, respectively. The single-match high for kills this season is 41, put together by Macie Tendrich and Katie Zimmerman against Georgia State on April 9. The Gamecocks have four matches this season where a pair recorded double-figure aces: Macie Tendrich and Shannon Williams against North Florida (10, 3/6), Carly Schnieder and Julia Mannisto twice (11 vs. Jackonville, 10 vs. Tulane) and Adrianna Culbert and Ali Denney against Florida State (10, 3/28). WELCOME TO THE GREAT OUTDOORS! After finding tremendous success converting Wichita State indoor volleyball standout Katie Zimmerman to the beach last season, the coaching staff will try that same formula this season with Adrianna Culbert. While playing indoors for Colorado State, Culbert earned 2015 Mountain West Player of the Year honors and was a three-time AVCA All-Pacific Northwest Region Team member for the Rams. Her experience indoors as a setter and pin hitter has prepared her well for the outdoor lifestyle, as Culbert has racked up an 18-6 record so far this season (11 wins in the 1s pair, seven in the 2s). Additionally, she leads the team in blocks (averaging one per set) and is hitting.411 with 4.8 kills and 6.15 assists per set. YEAR TWO OF CONFERENCE ACTION HEATS UP South Carolina s 2017 slate will feature a number of brewing rivalries thanks to an expanded conference this season. The Coastal Collegiate Sports Association added two more programs this past fall, welcoming College of Charleston and UNC Wilmington to push the conference up to 10 teams. The Gamecocks finished 5-5 in CCSA matches during the regular season, and made the semifinal round of the conference s first-ever postseason tournament. Carolina is currently 8-5 in conference matches so far this season. CHALLENGING SCHEDULE AWAITS GAMECOCKS IN 2017 As the program heads into its fourth year, the competition level has been stepped up to another level. The Gamecocks have lined up seven regular season tournaments that will cover 28 duals. Of those 28 matches, 11 already have come against opponents in the AVCA Coaches top-15. STRONG SUMMER EARNS GAMECOCK DUO ALL-AMERICA HONORS Freshmen Carly Schnieder and Katie Smith come to Carolina with accomplished prep careers on the beach. The duo won the AAU Jr. National Beach Volleyball Championship as well as the USA Volleyball Junior Beach Volleyball Tour Championship. For their efforts, Carly and Katie made the six-member AVCA High School Beach All-America Team. South Carolina Beach Volleyball now has three first-team All-Americans on the roster, as the two freshmen joined junior Julia Mannisto, who was on the four-member 2014 All-America team. South Carolina is the only school in the country to have three AVCA Beach All-Americans on their roster. ALL-TIME RECORDS South Carolina holds a all-time program record, dating back to The Gamecocks joined the CCSA for volleyball in 2016, and have an all-time conference record of In home matches at, Carolina is (.692). Moritz Moritz is entering his fourth season as head coach of the Gamecocks, spanning the young history of the program. He earned his 50th career win against UAB on March 19, ABOUT THE CCSA South Carolina joined the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) in October 2015 as the eighth member of the conference. Since then, the CCSA has also added UNC-Wilmington and College of Charleston to bring the 2017 roster to 10 teams. The CCSA postseason tournament is held at LakePoint Sports Complex in Emerson, Ga. The CCSA is one of the country s strongest beach conferences, boasting six teams currently ranked in the AVCA Coaches Top-15 Poll. AVCA RANKINGS WEEK SIX (4/10/17) RANK SCHOOL RECORD PREVIOUS 1 Southern Cal * t-2 Pepperdine t-2 UCLA Florida St. * t-5 Long Beach St t-5 Hawai i LSU * Arizona Stetson * 1 9 t-10 Georgia St. * t-10 Grand Canyon * South Carolina TCU 16-8 NR 14 FIU * Florida Atlantic * Receiving votes: Saint Mary s, Loyola Marymount, Arizona State, Stanford, California, College of Charleston*, Tulane*, Cal Poly, San Jose State, New Mexico * 2017 Gamecocks Opponent SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook.../SouthCarolinaBeachVolleyball Snapchat... GamecockBeachVB 3

4 2017 PAIRS RECORDS PAIR DUAL PAIR PLAY NO. 1 NO. 2 NO. 3 NO. 4 NO. 5 Katie Smith / Katie Zimmerman Katie Smith / Adrianna Culbert Adrianna Culbert / Ali Denney Katie Zimmerman / Ali Denney Shannon Williams / Ali Denney Julia Mannisto / Carly Schnieder Macie Tendrich / Shannon Williams Macie Tendrich / Katie Zimmerman Franky Harrison / Jade Vitt Franky Harrison / Hannah Edelman Hannah Edelman / Caroline Skaff Delaney Wood / Sarah Nacouzi Hannah Sorensen / Jade Vitt Hannah Sorensen / Hannah Edelman TOTALS INDIVIDUAL RECORDS INDIVIDUAL OVERALL DUAL PAIR PLAY NO. 1 NO. 2 NO. 3 NO. 4 NO. 5 Katie Smith Katie Zimmerman Adrianna Culbert Ali Denney Julia Mannisto Carly Schnieder Macie Tendrich Shannon Williams Franky Harrison Jade Vitt Hannah Edelman Caroline Skaff Delaney Wood Sarah Nacouzi Hannah Sorensen ACTIVE CAREER RECORDS INDIVIDUAL YEAR TOTAL WIN PCT. Macie Tendrich Jr Jade Vitt Julia Mannisto Jr Katie Zimmerman Grad Shannon Williams So Delaney Wood So Erin Neuenfeldt Adrianna Culbert Grad Carly Schnieder Ali Denney Katie Smith Franky Harrison Hannah Edelman Hannah Sorensen Jr Sarah Nacouzi AJ Baumann So Caroline Skaff Helen Recaborde AJ Baumann So Caroline Skaff Helen Recaborde

5 CAREER RECORDS PAIRS WINS - OVERALL 1. Macie Tendrich/Katie Zimmerman (Reilly), 2016, Paige Wheeler/Megan Kent, 2014, Sarah Blomgren/Aubrey Ezell, Jade Hayes/Macie Tendrich, Jade Vitt/Delaney Wood, Julia Mannisto/Carly Schnieder, Sarah Blomgren/Jade Vitt, Julia Mannisto/Shannon Williams, Koko Atoa-Williams/Allie Monserez, Shannon Williams/Macie Tendrich, Franky Harrison/Jade Vitt, Maddie Frome/Julia Mannisto, INDIVIDUAL WINS - OVERALL 1. Macie Tendrich, Jade Vitt, Sarah Blomgren, Julia Mannisto, Katie Zimmerman (Reilly), Shannon Williams, Paige Wheeler, Megan Kent, Delaney Wood, Koko Atoa-Williams, INDIVIDUAL WINNING PERCENTAGE - OVERALL (Minimum two seasons and 20 matches played) 1. Macie Tendrich, (64-21) Katie Zimmerman (Reilly), (42-18) Delaney Wood, (24-16) Shannon Williams, (34-26) Sarah Blomgren, (50-44) Jade Vitt, (62-52) Julia Mannisto, (46-44) Koko Atoa-Williams, (23-24) Paige Wheeler, (25-28).472 Megan Kent, (25-28).472 INDIVIDUAL WINS - DUAL ONLY 1. Macie Tendrich, Jade Vitt, Katie Zimmerman (Reilly), Sarah Blomgren, Julia Mannisto, Shannon Williams, Aubrey Ezell, Koko Atoa-Williams, Delaney Wood, Adrianna Culbert, INDIVIDUAL WINNING PERCENTAGE - DUAL ONLY (Minimum two seasons and 20 matches played) 1. Macie Tendrich, (62-19) Katie Zimmerman (Reilly), (42-18) Aubrey Ezell, 2016 (22-14) Sarah Blomgren, (41-31) Shannon Williams, (34-26) Delaney Wood, (18-15) Jade Vitt, (52-44) Koko Atoa-Williams, (19-18) Julia Mannisto, (41-40) Erin Neuenfeldt, (17-31).354 SEASON RECORDS PAIRS WINS - OVERALL 1. Macie Tendrich/Katie Zimmerman (Reilly), Sarah Blomgren/Aubrey Ezell, Paige Wheeler/Megan Kent, Jade Vitt/Delaney Wood, Macie Tendrich/Jade Hayes, Sarah Blomgren/Jade Vitt, Julia Mannisto/Carly Schnieder, Julia Mannisto/Shannon Williams, Shannon Williams/Macie Tendrich, Franky Harrison/Jade Vitt, Maddie Frome/Julia Mannisto, Koko Atoa-Williams/ Allie Monserez, PAIRS WINNING PERCENTAGE - OVERALL (Must have played in at least half of team s duals) 1. Shannon Williams/Macie Tendrich, 2017 (14-3) Julia Mannisto/Carly Schnieder, 2017 (17-7) Macie Tendrich/Katie Zimmerman (Reilly), 2016 (26-10) Macie Tendrich/Jade Hayes, 2015 (18-7) Adrianna Culbert/Ali Denney, 2017 (11-5) Paige Wheeler/Megan Kent, 2015 (20-10) Franky Harrison/Jade Vitt, 2017 (14-8) Sarah Blomgren/Aubrey Ezell, 2016 (22-14) Koko Atoa-Williams/Allie Monserez, 2015 (14-9) Jade Vitt/Delaney Wood, 2016 (18-13).581 PAIRS WINS - DUAL ONLY 1. Macie Tendrich/Katie Zimmerman (Reilly), Sarah Blomgren/Aubrey Ezell, Jade Vitt/Delaney Wood, Macie Tendrich/Jade Hayes, Carly Schnieder/Julia Mannisto, Julia Mannisto/Shannon Williams, Paige Wheeler/Megan Kent, Shannon Williams/Macie Tendrich, Franky Harrison/Jade Vitt, Koko Atoa-Williams/Allie Moserez, INDIVIDUAL WINS - OVERALL 1. Macie Tendrich, Katie Zimmerman (Reilly), Sarah Blomgren, Aubrey Ezell, Paige Wheeler, Megan Kent, Macie Tendrich, Shannon Williams, Jade Vitt, Adrianna Culbert, Delaney Wood, Jade Hayes, Macie Tendrich, INDIVIDUAL WINNING PERCENTAGE - OVERALL (Must have played in at least half of team s duals) 1. Macie Tendrich, 2017 (20-4) Shannon Williams, 2017 (19-5) Adrianna Culbert, 2017 (18-6) Ali Denney, 2017 (17-7).708 Julia Mannisto, 2017 (17-7).708 Carly Schnieder, 2017 (17-7) Macie Tendrich, 2016 (26-10).722 Katie Zimmerman (Reilly), 2016 (26-10) Macie Tendrich, 2015 (18-7).720 Jade Hayes, 2015 (18-7).720 5

6 M AT C H N O T E S : W E E K S I X (PALMETTO INVITATIONAL) SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS TEAM/STAFF SPOT CHART 2 Shannon Williams So. Ashburn, Va. 11 Jade Vitt 5-7 San Diego, Calif. 21 Sarah Nacouzi Raleigh, N.C. 33 Franky Harrison Knoxville, Tenn. 3 Julia Mannisto 5-11 Jr. Westlake Village, Ca. 13 Adrianna Culbert Gr. Delton, Mich. 23 Carly Schnieder Cincinnati, Ohio 34 Hannah Sorensen Gr. Wilmington, N.C. HC 4 Caroline Skaff 5-11 Haymarket, Va. 14 AJ Baumann 5-7 So. Roswell, Ga. 25 Jordan Wilson-Talmadge 5-7 Orlando, Fla. 41 Abby Feruck Atlanta, Ga. AC Moritz Moritz Head Coach 4th Season 6 5 Delaney Wood So. Westlake, Texas 15 Katie Zimmerman Gr. Cypress, Texas 30 Ali Denney 5-6 Jupiter, Fla. 44 Hannah Edelman 5-5 Hilton Head Isl, S.C. 10 Macie Tendrich 5-3 Jr. Boynton Beach, Fla. 20 Erin Neuenfeldt Birmingham, Mich. 32 Helen Recaborde Atlanta, Ga. 50 Katie Smith 5-9 West Chester, Ohio RJ Abella Assistant Coach 4th Season