(13) South Carolina
No. 7 Mustangs Open 2020 With Pair of Wins Saturday
2/22/2020 12:00:00 AM | Beach Volleyball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The seventh ranked Cal Poly beach volleyball team opened the 2020 season on Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla. by winning both of its matches, including one over a top 15 team.
The No. 7 Mustangs (2-0) started the day by beating No. 13 South Carolina 4-1 before beating the University of Tampa 4-1 later in the day on the courts of Florida State University.
Against the Gamecocks, Cal Poly's No. 1 pairing of senior Torrey Van Winden and junior Macy Gordon, playing together for the first time, got the Mustangs on the board first with a straight sets win over Skylar Allen and Katie Smith, 21-12, 21-19.
After South Carolina tied the match 1-1 with a win at the No. 5 spot, Cal Poly regained the lead when the No. 2 pair of juniors Mariah Whalen and Tia Miric, also playing together for the first time, won their match in three sets against Jess Vastine and Carly Schnieder, 10-21, 21-13, 15-5.
The Mustangs then clinched the win after another pair playing for the first time, senior Adlee Van Winden and freshman Josie Ulrich, won in three sets at the No. 4 position over Morgyn Greer and Jordan Smith, 21-14, 18-21, 15-8.
The 4-1 victory was completed after the No. 3 pairing of senior Emily Sonny and sophomore Jayelin Lombard defeated Franky Harrison and Avery Davis in three sets, 21-23, 21-14, 15-9.
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In the win over the Spartans, Cal Poly's No. 5 pairing of senior Brayden Gruenewald and sophomore Vanessa Roscoe got the Mustangs on the board first after their first win of the year over Selina Pfuner and Claire Overton in straight sets, 21-19, 21-14.
Shortly thereafter, Miric and Whalen took their match in dominant fashion from the No. 2 spot against Bri Civiero and Valerie Rosequist, 21-11, 21-9.
Later, Gordon and Torrey Van Winden clinched the match for the Mustangs after a 21-16, 21-15 win at the No. 1 position over Julia Oswald and Rachel Rosequist.
Sonny and Lombard got Cal Poly's fourth point of the match after a straight sets win from the No. 3 spot over Katie McKiel and Melissa Elias, 21-11, 21-13.
Cal Poly will play two matches on Sunday, both against top 10 opponents who made the NCAA Tournament last year, to wrap up its weekend in Tallahassee. The Mustangs will take on No. 9 Stetson at 5 a.m. PT and the No. 2 host Seminoles at 7:30 a.m. Links to follow live stats for both matches are available on the schedule page.
