CONWAY, S.C. - The Coastal Carolina beach volleyball team will head to Columbia, S.C. this weekend for the Palmetto Invitational on April 18 and 19. The Chants will face four teams through the two-day event, with matches against Jacksonville (9 a.m.) and Georgia State (1 p.m.) on Friday, and Florida Gulf Coast (11 a.m.) and South Carolina (5 p.m.) on Saturday. Coastal enters the weekend with a 17-11 overall record and 5-0 in the Sun Belt, tied for the top spot in the standings. 

Friday's match against Georgia State will be a battle for the Sun Belt regular season title, with both teams standing 5-0 in conference play. 

Senior Raychel Ehlers enters Friday with 93 career victories, one away from marking a new program record. She is currently tied with Ellie Hanford (2021-2024) for the top spot.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

Jacksonville

• The Chants lead the overall series 12-4 and have won the last 12 in a row.
• Last season, Coastal swept the Dolphins 5-0 on February 23 and claimed a 3-2 victory on April 20.
• The Dolphins enter the weekend with an 11-17 record and a 3-2 mark in ASUN play.

Georgia State

• Coastal Carolina has yet to beat Georgia State in 11 matches dating back to 2020.
• The Chants were beat in all three meetings in 2024, with a 0-5 loss on April 19, 2-3 loss on April 26, and a 1-3 loss on April 27.
• The Panthers enter the weekend at 17-13 overall and 5-0 in Sun Belt play. 

Florida Gulf Coast

• FGCU has taken all but one of the 13 matches between the two teams dating back to 2016.
• The Chants and Eagles met once last season, ending in a 3-2 Coastal victory on March 8.
• The Eagles enter the weekend with an 18-10 overall record and stand at 5-2 in ASUN play. 

South Carolina

• Coastal has won two of the 15 matches between the two teams including the last two.
• The Chants and Gamecocks met on March 15 with Coastal pulling out a 4-1 win.
• South Carolina enters the weekend with an 11-14 record and are 0-3 in the CCSA.

PALMETTO INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE

Friday, April 18

• vs. Jacksonville @ 9:00 a.m. ET
• vs. Georgia State @ 1:00 p.m. ET

Saturday, April 19

• vs. Florida Gulf Coast @ 11:00 a.m. ET
• vs. South Carolina @ 5:00 p.m. ET

For complete coverage of women's beach volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBeachVB (X), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com