Next Stop for Lady Flyers Beach Volleyball Team is Spartanburg, SC

A busy spring for the Sandhills Community College beach volleyball team continues with practices on the home courts today for the SMC Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Spartanburg Methodist College in Spartanburg, SC.

The Lady Flyers (1-9) will play Bob Jones University and the host team at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. respectively on Friday, and the same two teams again at 10 a.m. and at noon on Saturday.

Coach Alicia Riggan described the matches last Friday and Saturday at Gaston College's Rhinos Invitational as a positive experience for the team in spite of the 5-0 losses to the host team, Richard Bland College and Catawba College.

Richard Bland won all three of its matches while Gaston and Catawba each went 1-2.

"Yes, it was a good weekend," Riggan said on Monday morning. "When a program is developing, it's going to take time and patience. These girls are trading in their indoor shoes for sand socks. We have only been doing this for a month. We are changing up pairs sometimes with no practice before.

"Olivia Barlowe was back (from an injury) this weekend. We had several times where we went three sets and so close to finishing. We're just trying to figure out who works the best together and get ready for the Region X Tournament on April 7.

Sandhills will host that six-team event that will determine three of the teams to make up the 12-team field for the first NJCAA Beach volleyball Championship held at Hickory Point Beach in Tavares, FL on April 20-22.

The remaining schedule for the Lady Flyers also includes double matches at home against St. Andrews on April 4 and Wake Tech on April 5.

C. Bergmann