WELCOME TO WHEELER BEACH
- Wheeler Beach opened for the beach volleyball program’s inaugural season in 2014. It is located between Carolina Softball Stadium and Carolina Tennis Center. The facility was dedicated at the team’s home opener against Oregon on March 21, 2014, a dual that the Gamecocks went on to win, 4-1.
- The complex was the first collegiate beach volleyball facility of its kind and the first ever in the SEC. It features five courts with lights and electronic scoreboards on each court, the first collegiate beach volleyball facility to have this feature. At the end of the complex is a master scoreboard that keeps fans informed with the latest scores on each of the five courts and the overall dual.
- It’s the first electronic scoreboard specifically for beach volleyball in the world. Palmetto trees have been placed throughout the facility, and fans can bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on the turf and enjoy the matches. The facility also features a sound system which has music playing throughout the duals.
- The program named its facility Wheeler Beach in honor of the generosity of Jon and Kim Wheeler. The relationship began thanks in part to the on-court contributions of Paige Wheeler, who started her Gamecock career with the indoor volleyball program and moved to the beach in its first season of existence in 2014. A wrought-iron gate spanning the entrances to Wheeler Beach now bears the family’s name.
The beach program has one of the newest locker rooms at South Carolina and it includes a separate team area for video review and other amenities for entertainment.
COLUMBIA, YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Can't make it to campus in person? Then check out all you need to see when you think of the University of South Carolina and our capital city of Columbia!
Since the program's inception, South Carolina beach volleyball has racked up the academic honors...
- In the 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years, the beach team led the entire South Carolina athletics department for highest semester GPA. In the fall of the 2018, the Gamecocks led with a 3.616 GPA. The team repeated that feat in the following fall, upping its combined GPA to 3.76, and then shattered that with a program record GPA of 3.947 in the spring of 2020.
- The squad returned to the top of the list for the 2022 fall semester, leading all Gamecock teams with a 3.72 GPA.
- The Gamecocks are one of just three beach programs in the country to earn the AVCA Team Academic Award for 10 consecutive seasons.
SUCCESS OFF THE SAND
In 2019, senior Shannon Williams earned the coveted President's Award, given to one South Carolina student-athlete who achieved success in all three phases: academics, athletics and community outreach. She is the first member in program history to receive the honor.
In 2024, Skylar Allen was the unanimous winner of the CCSA Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as voted on by the conference's coaches. After graduating with a degree in exercise science in May of 2023, Allen then moved into a PhD program in coaching science and carried a 4.0 GPA.
THE COCKY COACHING TREE
The Gamecock beach volleyball coaching tree is growing fast! From four year graduates to graduate assistants, the program's alums are making an impact in both the indoor and beach game on the club and collegiate levels.
MEET THE COACHES
MORITZ MORITZ
Head Coach
- Moritz Moritz is the first and only head coach in South Carolina beach volleyball history, with 193 wins.
- The Gamecocks set the program record with 24 wins in 2018, and earned the number six overall seed in the NCAA tournament. Twelve of those victories came against teams ranked in the top-20 during the season, and South Carolina ended the year ranked 9th in the country.
- Prior to his role with the beach team, Moritz worked with the Gamecock indoor team from 2011-12 and spent five seasons at Idaho.
- Married to Kevann Tuell, the couple has two children, son Curren and daughter Gracyn.
RJ ABELLA
Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator
- RJ Abella serves as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Gamecocks, working with the program since its inception.
- Abella and Moritz have shown the ability to not only recruit and train high-level high school athletes, but also cross-train indoor collegiate athletes who look to pursue a post-graduate career on the sand.
- On the prep side of recruiting, Abella has secured top high school and club talent from coast to coast, bringing in 12 AVCA High School Beach All-Americans from eight different states in the decade the list has existed.
- Prior to coming to Columbia, he spent the previous six years helping Wichita State's indoor program reach its best NCAA volleyball finish in history with a regional semifinal appearance in 2012.
- Abella has also coached on the national circuit, helping the USA A2 National Team to a second-place finish in the 2009 USA Open Championships.
Head coach Moritz Moritz and assistant coach RJ Abella have been together since the program’s first season back in 2014. Across all of collegiate beach volleyball, the duo is currently tied only with defending champion UCLA (Stein Metzger and Jenny Johnson Jordan) in terms of longest tenure together as a coaching staff.
WELCOME HOME: 650 LINCOLN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
End Your College Career in the Sand!
In the program's short history, high-level graduate transfers from the indoor game have not only found success converting to the beach, but have helped shape the culture for the Gamecocks - all while pursuing Carolina's world-class masters programs.
CADIE BATES 2018-19
- Played in 83 matches with the Duke indoor team.
- Went 39-24 as an individual over two seasons with the Gamecocks.
- Qualified for the USA Beach Volleyball Collegiate Championship and made the quarterfinal round in 2018.
- Joined Shannon Williams on the winningest 1s pair in program history, claiming 17 victories at #1 in 2019.
- She and Williams also were named to the CCSA All-Conference team in 2019, South Carolina's first-ever honorees.
"I was not ready to be done playing and I knew I had a lot more to give as an athlete and a teammate, so pursuing an extra year and earning a graduate degree also was something I was really excited about. South Carolina was the perfect fit."
MADISON BRABHAM 2020-21
- Played indoor and beach volleyball at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
- As a senior indoors, she became the first Kingsville student-athletes to earn AVCA First-Team All-America honors, and also won the conference player of the year. Brabham was also selected to the All-South Central Region First-Team by the AVCA and the D2CCA.
- Led Kingsville to the AVCA Small College Beach Championship in 2018, and a runner-up finish in 2019.
- Finished her career at South Carolina with a record of 25-19, starting in every single dual as a Gamecock.
"I loved the atmosphere here, all the girls and the coaches, how amazing the campus is and how sweet everybody was right when I came in, it was like a feeling that I was supposed to be here."
ADRIANNA CULBERT 2017
- Came to Carolina after graduating from Colorado State, earning All-America honors in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
- Spent her first and only season with the team at the top of the lineup, going 24-14 overall with 16 wins at the number one pairing and seven at the number two spot.
- Her 24 wins are the fourth-most in a single season in program history, and are the most ever by a Gamecock senior.
- Had an 8-7 record against opponents ranked in the AVCA Top 15 team poll.
- Qualified for the USA Volleyball Collegiate Beach Pairs Championship, where she and teammate Katie Smith advanced to the round of 16.
NICOLE DEOBLER 2021-22
- Played in 62 games while at Siena College, totaling over 400 kills and 350 career digs over three seasons of indoor.
- Co-captain of her varsity squad at Granada Hills Charter High School, recording 350 kills and leading her team to a division championship.
- Trained with the San Gabriel Elite Volleyball Club.
LYDIA DIMKE 2018-19
- Graduated from a standout career at Creighton, earning AVCA as a First Team All-East Region, Third Team All-American, BIG EAST Player of the Year, and First Team All-BIG EAST in 2016 with the Bluejays.
- Finished with a 26-12 record over two seasons, highlighted by a breakout year in 2019 where she won 23 matches at the number two position with Katie Smith, the most of any twos pair in program history.
"I would say do it 100 percent. You can always pursue your career after volleyball, so if you're even thinking about taking that extra time to play beach volleyball, I would recommend it."
LAURYN GILLIS 2019
- Played in 108 career matches as an indoor volleyball student-athlete, 21 as a freshman at Southern Cal and 87 over three seasons with Wisconsin.
- Played one season at South Carolina, compiling a 12-5 record as a starter and also was 6-3 in the exhibition spot.
"I like the process of learning new things, this team was so great at accepting me and understanding that it'll take some time for you to learn the game and it made it a lot easier for me. The coaching staff was awesome, adjusting and using my indoor experience to let me try new things and let me be my best self as a beach player."
MORGYN GREER 2020-21
- Came to South Carolina for the spring 2020 season after four seasons of indoor at Florida, playing in 54 career matches.
- The Gators reached the National Semifinal in 2017 Sweet 16 in 2018 and 2019.
- Florida won 26 or more matches in each of Greer's four seasons.
- Made 39 starts while at South Carolina and finished with a record of 28-11.
- In high school, Morgyn played sand volleyball, varsity basketball (freshman year), was on the varsity track team at Dripping Springs and was on a competitive dance team for six years.
- Led her high school team to four district titles, a state final appearance in 2014 and a state semifinal appearance in 2013.
- Ranked 33rd in the country in the Senior Aces list and was named a 2015 High School First Team All-American.
- Played club for Austin Juniors, earning a spot on the top team from eighth grade through her high school career and helped her 18s Team reach the USA Volleyball Open Division for the first time ever.
- Made the 2014 USAV Girls Youth National Team and played in the NORCECA Championships, and trained with the USA Girls A2 Beach Team in 2015.
JADE HAYES 2015
- Was the program's first-ever graduate transfer, coming to Carolina from Central Florida.
- Went 18-7 in her lone season with the team, and her .720 winning percentage currently ranks fourth in program history for a single season.
- The 18 wins overall with partner Macie Tendrich still rank in the program's top 10 for a single season.
- Her .762 winning percentage (16-5) in duals only is the second-highest in a single season in program history.
LEAH PERRI 2018
- Crossed enemy lines, graduating from rival Clemson for her indoor career before transferring to South Carolina for beach volleyball.
- Teamed with Macie Tendrich to lead the team in wins for the 2018 season, going 24-9 overall with a 20-5 record at the number four position.
- Earned AVCA Top Flight recognition, given to pairs who win at least 15 matches with at least .750 winning percentage at one position.
- The pair tied for the team lead with eight conference wins, and led the team with a 12-8 record against nationally ranked opponents, including wins over No. 2 Pepperdine, No. 7 LSU (twice), Georgia State (three times) and No. 10 FIU.
- The duo's 11-straight wins from March 3 to March 24 tied the program record for longest win streak.
- Their 20 wins at No. 4 are the most by any Gamecock pair in that position in the program's history.
RILEY WHITESIDES 2023-25
- Spent her final three years of college as a two-sport athlete, competing with the Gamecocks' indoor program since 2020.
- Finished her indoor career ranked in the top 10 for kills (1,452, 5th), attacks (4,007, 3rd), service aces (100, 2nd), digs (920, 9th) and points scored (1,645.0, 4th) for the rally-scoring era (since 2001).
- Broke out in her second season in the sand, moving up to the top court by the end of the season and finishing the 2024 season with a 20-15 overall record. Of her 20 wins, nine came on court one, 10 on court two and five came against nationally ranked opponents.
KATIE ZIMMERMAN 2016-17
- Was a two-year member of the program, graduating early from Wichita State after playing in 127 career matches for the Shockers.
- Finished with 49 wins in her two seasons, with a winning percentage of .671.
- Qualified for the USA Volleyball Collegiate Beach Pairs Championship in 2017.
- Started in all 36 matches for the Gamecocks in 2016.
- Paired with Macie Tendrich to go 26-10 overall in 2016, setting the single-season record for wins in a season.