USC crushes UCLA for unprecedented fourth straight women’s beach volleyball title
USC’s Olivia Bakos (5), Nicole Nourse (42) and Audrey Nourse (24) celebrate after easily defeating UCLA for the Trojans’ fourth consecutive NCAA women’s beach volleyball title Sunday. (Tyler Schank / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
GULF SHORES, Ala. —
The top-seeded and No. 1-ranked USC beach volleyball team (37-5) defeated second-seeded No. 2 UCLA (35-7) by a 3-0 count to win the 2024 NCAA championship at Gulf Beach Place on Sunday, May 5.
The championship is an unprecedented fourth straight for a USC women’s team and marks the first time a Trojan team of either gender has won four consecutive national titles since the men’s water polo team won six consecutive titles from 2008-13.
AP — Twin sisters Nicole and Audrey Nourse won the deciding match for a second straight season as top-ranked USC won its fourth straight beach volleyball championship with a 3-0 sweep over No. 2 UCLA on Sunday.
It was the first championship — since the NCAA recognized the sport in 2016 — where all five matches went to a third game.
USC (37-5) has won six of the eight championships — the last four under head coach Dain Blanton, a product of Laguna Beach High School. UCLA (35-7) won the other two titles in 2018-19.
USC jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind its No. 2 and No. 4 pairs.
Madison White and Maddi Kriz dropped the first game 14-21 to UCLA’s Peri Brennan and Devon Newberry before rallying for 21-19 and 15-13 victories in the next two.
The Trojans’ Grace Seits and freshman Ashley Pater lost the opener 24-26 to the Bruins’ Jaden Whitmarsh and Tessa Van Winkle. Seits and Pater trailed 8-4 in the second game but rallied for a 25-23 victory before dominating the third 15-8. Seits and Pater won their final five matches and finished 12-1 as a pair this season.
The Nourse sisters edged UCLA threes Jessie Smith and Kenzie Brower 22-20 to open their match. Smith and Brower answered with a 21-15 win to even it at a game apiece. The third one was tied 9-9 before a Nicole Nourse service ace and her block at the net wrapped up a 15-11 win and the 2024 title.
USC seniors Megan Kraft, a three-time AVCA first-team All-American, and two-time first-teamer Delaynie Maple cruised to a 21-16 win over the Bruins’ Maggie Boyd and Lexy Denaburg in the opener for the ones. Boyd and Denaburg led by four in the second game before the Trojans pulled within 18-17. UCLA scored the final three points, capped by Boyd’s service ace to force a third game. Kraft and Maple had an 8-4 lead in the final game before the result became moot.
UCLA’s No. 5 pair of Natalie Myszkowski and Ensley Alden opened with a 21-17 win over USC’s Mabyn Thomas and Madison Goellner. The Trojans eked out a 23-21 win to force a deciding game. USC was up 4-2 when the match was called.
USC beat UCLA 3-2 in the championship match last season.
Anna Collier coached USC to its first two titles — a 3-0 sweep over Florida State in 2016 and a 3-2 victory over Pepperdine the following season.
The Trojans advanced to the final this season with a 3-0 victory over No. 5 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the semifinals. The Bruins advanced to the title match with a 3-1 victory over No. 11 Louisiana State.
The Trojans won this championship without dropping a single match (12-0) and improved to 97-32 across all courts of play at the NCAA championship. USC improved to 31-4 in NCAA tournament duals and is now 155-18 in duals when they are ranked No. 1 in the AVCA coaches’ poll. The Trojans also rise to 38-8 in the state of Alabama.
USC brings home the 38th national championship won by a women’s team; the 28th NCAA title for the Women of Troy. It is also the 136th national title won by a USC team and the 113th NCAA championship all-time.
latimes.com
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