South Carolina takes on Oregon, UAB, LSU, ULM over weekend
For the first time ever, the Gamecocks are taking their talents to the beach.
The South Carolina sand volleyball team will open its first home tournament Friday night against Oregon and will continue Saturday against UAB and LSU. The tournament concludes Sunday with a match against Louisiana-Monroe.
Since this is the team’s inaugural season, Friday’s match will be its first home outing in history.
“It’s going to be an amazing experience, and I’m hoping for a loud crowd,” senior Megan Kent said. “I’m hoping everyone comes out and gets loud and excited.”
The Gamecocks have started the season 2-4, and Kent said they have been getting better as each match progressed.
“The first weekend was the biggest eye-opener for the team,” she said. “For the girls to be able to transition from practicing all the time to applying what they’ve been doing to an opponent is the biggest transition for them. To be able to identify what works and what doesn’t, what other teams are doing and how we can learn from it is big for us.”
Like many players on the team, Kent is making the transition to the sand after playing the bulk of her career on the hardwood.
She played her most recent indoor season in 2012, when she started 12 games for coach Scott Swanson’s team.
“Going from last fall to now, it’s a complete 180,” she said. “We’re learning to be more beachy than indoor, so we’ve completely changed for the better.”
South Carolina has played top-tier completion, including Florida International University, a top-10 team.
This being coach Moritz Moritz’s first season in the sand as well, he said his strategy is that “iron sharpens iron,” meaning that competing against tough teams will make his team tougher.
“We didn’t schedule easy. We have a lot of good competition,” he said. “We play FIU, GSU, who has great competitors that were at the national tournament. If we can continue and improve against quality opponents, we are doing the right thing.”
Like a number of his players, Moritz got experience with South Carolina’s indoor team. He worked as a member of the coaching staff for several years after stints with schools like Idaho and Colorado State.
Team-sponsored promotions are happening all weekend, with rally towels, stickers and T-shirts being handed out to celebrate the first-ever sand volleyball home match. There will also be a ribbon-cutting ceremony before the Oregon match.
“I think we are going to have an amazing atmosphere. The promotions that our marketing department has been working on is huge,” Mortiz said. “There is a lot of excitement in the community for us because sand volleyball is dynamic and fun to watch. We are a new kid on the block, so there is a lot of interest in it.”
The Gamecocks look to make their home opener memorable with a win against Oregon and expect a lively atmosphere for this historic match.
“It’s opening weekend,” Mortiz said. “The facilities are coming together, and the girls are starting to see all of the hard work they are putting in, that the administration is putting in. We are all genuinely humbled every day to be able to train and do what we are able to do. This is huge for us. We are so excited to be able to share what we have been doing with the community.”