国产三级片 beach volleyball made it to the conference tournament championship game for the first time in program history in 2024. But the end of the regular season didn't give any of its tournament opponents a reason to think the Gamecocks posed a threat.
The team ended the regular season on a three-game losing streak and went 0-4 in conference play.
But the Gamecocks didn鈥檛 see this negatively 鈥� rather, it used it as motivation. It decided it had nothing to lose.
The 国产三级片 beach volleyball team plays in a conference different from most teams at 国产三级片 鈥� the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association. The conference hosts some of the top-ranked programs in the country, including No. 4 Florida State, No. 10 LSU and No. 17 Grand Canyon.
Sophomore Jolie Cranford said the team knew all its work throughout the season would eventually culminate in success.
鈥淥ur mindset was basically that we had nothing to lose at that point. We had really worked so hard all season and felt like things were finally starting to click as a team and with pairs, and overall finally developing a team presence," Cranford said. "We鈥檙e here for each other, and there is no reason not to give everything that we have for the person next to you.鈥�
The team opened tournament play with a loss to top-seeded Florida State but rallied back to defeat No. 17 Grand Canyon in an elimination game. The Gamecocks came out dominant, taking control of all five sets. After starting 3-0, 国产三级片 was able to stop the Antelopes' late comeback and finish the match with a 3-2 victory. Grand Canyon was previously 13-0 against unranked opponents before the tournament.
The Gamecocks were then tasked with facing No. 10 LSU the next day, a team they had lost to twice in the regular season. The battle came all the way down to a decisive game on court five with the pair of senior Sophie Bengoechea and sophomore VB Trost. The duo fended off one final test from the Tigers in two sets to send 国产三级片 to its first conference championship in program history.
Head coach Moritz Moritz explained how important partnerships like Trost and Bengoechea were heading into conference play. He said the "click" in their relationship proved to be persistent attack.
鈥淚t wasn't that they were, you know, this intimidating pair. But honestly, it was more this relentless way that they competed and played and communicated with each other,鈥� Moritz said. 鈥淭hey were this just this pair that kept attacking and kept attacking and kept chipping away and ultimately found a ton of success in that for the last several weeks.鈥�
But for the pair, emotional connection also drove their success. Trost, only a sophomore, was paired with a senior, and she knew that each game could have been Bengoechea鈥檚 last.
鈥淔or me, I played every game like it was my last game, and for my partner, it could have been her last game because she is a senior,鈥� Trost said. "I just wanted to leave everything on the court for her and I think that was the best we have played as a partnership because we were really playing for each other.鈥�
Despite falling once again to No. 4 Florida State by a 3-0 score in the CCSA Conference Championships, Moritz said the match 鈥渨as closer than the results show.鈥� Most of the pairs forced third sets within their court, not letting the Seminoles off the hook easily.
While the result was not what the team had in mind, it knew it was the best volleyball it had played all season. Trost said it was during the tournament that the team found the best culture and environment they had played in that year.
鈥淭hat was the absolute best tournament, best culture environment, family atmosphere we have ever had,鈥� Trost said. "We were just one together, and even our coaches were one with us, and everyone was on the same page.鈥�
The Gamecocks finished with a 20-16 overall record and graduated five of its players from the team, four of whom played in the tournament. Cranford said it was unfortunate the team didn鈥檛 find its rhythm until the end but knows it will set the program up for future success.
鈥淚t is just a huge positive note to end the year on and makes it even more exciting to start pre-season in the fall,鈥� Cranford said. 鈥淏eing able to reestablish our program and our presence was a way for us to reflect on who we were and if we ended up who we said we wanted to be, and we did.鈥�
Looking toward the offseason, Moritz said he is excited about what is to come for the young program. He added that the team will continue to use the offseason as a chance to build the best team, whether it is fine-tuning partnerships, developing skills or getting stronger.
鈥淲e're building a foundation of trust. We're building a foundation of love and appreciation for each other,鈥� Moritz said. 鈥淭hat gives us license to push each other. That gives us the ability then to really get after each other in a way that we know it's going to build the team internally.鈥�