Tampa Knocks off No. 17 South Carolina but Falls to No. 18 Arizona State on Day 1 of the Tampa Invitational
TAMPA, Fla. - Spartans split day one of the 2024 season, taking down No.17 South Carolina in the process.
The Spartans made a splash in the beach volleyball world Friday morning with a dominant win over No. 17 South Carolina. The 4's and 5's kicked off the party for the Spartans. Senior Cassidy Ehrie and freshman Anna Bayes, who made her collegiate debut, teamed up for the first time in competitive play and only needed two sets to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead in the duel. Long-time pairing Madison Brunick and Keely Hamilton took on South Carolina in the 4's, and despite losing the first set handily, responded with an even larger win in the second set to force a third. Brunick and Hamilton would outlast South Carolina amidst back-and-forth rallies in the third set to claim Tampa's second point in the duel. Also making her debut for the Spartans was freshman Teona Treskounov, who played alongside sophomore Angel Williams in the 2's. The new pairing battled hard but the Gamecocks managed to scramble their first point in the duel, setting the score at 2-1. Sophomore twins Hailey Wolfe and Nevaeh Wolfe continued their lifelong pairing in the 3's and were the pairing to seal the deal for the Spartans. They claimed victory in two sets just before the 1's pairing of Olivia Margolies and Payton Brunick clinched a third set victory in their matchup and a 4-1 duel victory.
After an extended day of volleyball that saw the final duel pushed back nearly two hours, the Spartans squared off against No. 18 Arizona State. In cloud-covered skies that brought rain and wind, the Sundevils fended off a second Tampa upset and took a 4-1 victory. Fielding the same pairings as the morning duel, the 3's duo of Hailey Wolfe and Nevaeh Wolfe were the lone Spartans to take a match off Arizona State, winning the first set by double digits and the third by a score of 15-11.
Tampa 4, South Carolina 1
1. Olivia Margolies/Payton Brunick (UT) def. Skylar Allen/Peyton Yamagata (USC) 18-20, 21-15, 17-15
2. Riley Whitesides/Hannah Mackenhausen (USC) def. Teona Treskounov/Angel Williams (UT) 21-15, 21-16
3. Nevaeh Wolfe/Hailey Wolfe (UT) def. Abigail Lagemann/Jolie Cranford (USC) 21-17, 21-18
4. Anna Bayes/Cassidy Ehrie (UT) def. Chase Teal/Morgan Downs (USC) 21-19, 21-15
5. Keely Hamilton/Madison Brunick (UT) def. Evie Ziffer/Sophie Bengoechea (USC) 13-21, 21-16, 15-11
Arizona State 4, Tampa 1
1. Anya Pemberton/Daniella Kensinger (ASU) def. Olivia Margolies/Payton Brunick (UT) 21-13, 21-15
2. Arden Besecker/Ava Williamson (ASU) def. Teona Treskounov/Angel Williams (UT) 21-14, 21-9
3. Nevaeh Wolfe/Hailey Wolfe (UT) def. Lexi Sweeney/Taryn Ames (ASU) 21-11, 16-21, 15-11
4. Ava Kirunchyk/Ava Haughy (ASU) def. Anna Bayes/Cassidy Ehrie (UT) 21-15, 21-14
5. Kendall Whitmarsh/Adri Nieves Papaleo (ASU) def. Keely Hamilton/Madison Brunick (UT) 18-21, 21-13, 15-8
Up Next: The Spartans take on No. 12 Georgia State and No. 11 FAU at 10 A.M and 4 P.M tomorrow, Saturday, February 23rd.