CONWAY, S.C. – For the second consecutive day, the Coastal Carolina beach volleyball team went 1-1 versus a pair of regional foes at the Carolina Challenge, as the Sandy Chants blanked Mercer 5-0 and then lost a heartbreaker to the College of Charleston 3-2 on Saturday.
The split pushed the Chanticleers' record to 17-10 on the season.
At the end of the tournament, the Chanticleers recognized their four seniors in
Martine Kragholm, Natalie Honzovicova,
Lucy Campbell, and
Kalin Eske.
Coastal Carolina 5, Mercer 0
The Chanticleers did not drop a set and cruised to a 5-0 win over Mercer in the home team's first match of the day on Saturday.
CCU's team of
Emma Gonzalez and
Madison Allred started the match with a 21-15, 21-18 win on court No. 5, which was followed by the tandem of
Carli Ginther and
Raychel Ehlers battling back from a second-set loss to take the win on court No. 4 at 21-11, 22-24, 15-4 to give the Chants a 2-0 match lead.
On court No. 3, the pair of Honzovicova and
Madie Lichty found the win column with a 21-19, 21-18 victory to seal the win for the Sandy Chants.
Coastal completed the sweep with a 21-16, 21-17 victory on court No. 2 from the team of
Irena Drobnjak and
Ellie Hanford and a 21-18, 21-17 win on court No. 1 by the pair of Kragholm and
Sarah Riedell.
The win over the Bears was the ninth straight for the Chants and the third victory in the all-time series this season.
College of Charleston 3, Coastal Carolina 2
Just the opposite of Friday, in which the Chants lost their first match and won the second, the Chants posted a win in the first match of the day on Saturday but were unable to complete the two-match sweep, this time falling to the Cougars of College of Charleston 3-2.
The Chants fell behind early with a 21-18, 24-22 loss at court No. 5, but quickly tied the match up at 1-1 with a three-set, 21-23, 21-10, 15-13 win from Ginther and Ehlers on court No. 4.
CofC would retake the match lead with a 21-18, 21-17 win on court No. 3, only to see the Sandy Chants knot the match back up at 2-2 with a three-set win on court No. 2 by Drobnjak and Hanford at 17-21, 21-10, 15-12.
The match came down to the top flight, where the Cougars' duo of Ella Reames and Sky Benjamin held off the Chants' pair of Kragholm and Riedell 22-20, 21-17 to pick up the win and defeat the Chanticleers 3-2 in the match.
CCU will return to action next weekend, April 15-16, at the Palmetto Invitational hosted by the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.
Results
Coastal Carolina 5, Mercer 0
1.
Martine Kragholm/
Sarah Riedell (CCU) def. Olivia Boeve/Lexi Polychrones (MER) - 21-18, 21-17
2.
Irena Drobnjak/
Ellie Hanford (CCU) def. Nicole O'Mara/Sydney Benson (MER) - 21-16, 21-17
3.
Natalie Honzovicova/
Madie Lichty (CCU) def. Jordan Paddock/Reese Hood (MER) - 21-19, 21-18
4.
Carli Ginther/
Raychel Ehlers (CCU) def. Ellie Miller/Alyssa Scoggins (MER) - 21-11, 22-24, 15-4
5.
Emma Gonzalez/
Madison Allred (CCU) def. Jordan Morris/Kathryn Corbett (MER) - 21-15, 21-18
Ext.
Kalin Eske/
Alyssa Eske (CCU) def. Elena Sanfrey/Emily Leonard (MER) - 21-11, 21-10
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
College of Charleston 3, Coastal Carolina 2
1. Ella Reames/Sky Benjamin (COFC) def.
Martine Kragholm/
Sarah Riedell (CCU) - 22-20, 21-17
2.
Irena Drobnjak/
Ellie Hanford (CCU) def. Amani Dunston/Sofie Vogel (COFC) - 17-21, 21-10, 15-12
3. Gabi Bailey/Kyra Thompson (COFC) def.
Natalie Honzovicova/
Madie Lichty (CCU) - 21-18, 21-17
4.
Carli Ginther/
Raychel Ehlers (CCU) def. Maria Zweig/Emma Falk (COFC) - 21-23, 21-10, 15-13
5. Rebeca Olariu/Mikaela Dougherty (COFC) def.
Emma Gonzalez/
Madison Allred (CCU) - 21-18, 24-22
Ext.
Alyssa Eske/
Kalin Eske (CCU) def. Molly Russell/Brooke Harris (COFC) - 21-10, 25-23
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
For complete coverage of Coastal Carolina beach volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBeachVB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUsports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
