University Southern California Trojans
Claes and Hughes Win Gold in Huntington Beach
October 27, 2015 | Women's Beach Volleyball
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Oct. 27, 2015
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- Defending pairs national champions Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes started the fall 2015 campaign with a victory at the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Women of Troy participated in the Endless Summer Volleyball Tour and put six pairs into the gold bracket finals.
Claes and Hughes opened with a 21-13 win over Kamila Tan and Julie Consani of UCLA and then defeated Madison and McKenna Witt of Arizona, 21-16, in the quarterfinals. The Trojan duo earned a 21-14 win over Pepperdine's team of Delaney Knudsen and Skylar Caputo to move into the finals where Claes and Hughes put together a 21-11, 21-18 win over Megan and Nicole McNamara of UCLA to claim the gold title.
USC juniors Nicolette Martin and Allie Wheeler defeated Pepperdine's Samantha Cash and Anika Wilson, 22-20, in the first round, but fell to the Knudsen-Caputo tandem, 21-13, in the quarterfinals. USC's team of graduate Emily Young and sophomore Jo Kremer earned a 21-19 victory over Trojan teammates senior Alexa Strange and sophomore transfer Terese Cannon in the first round but fell to Grand Canyon's Shannon Dugan and Mackenzie Phelps, 21-16, in the quarterfinal round.
In other first-round action, USC sophomore Jenna Belton and freshman Abril Bustamante fell to the Witt sisters, 21-18. Junior Paige Hines teamed with freshman Katrina Kernochan in the first round, but the duo fell to Dugan and Phelps, 21-19. Graduate transfer Zoë Nightingale and freshman Becca Dunn dropped a 22-20 decision to the McNamara sister.
In the silver bracket, USC's pair of sophomore Lorna Brandt and freshman Pearl Keane dropped a 21-14 match in the first round to Taylor Racich and Veronica Sams of Pepperdine.
The USC beach volleyball team went undefeated (28-0) to claim the program's first team championship and the 123rd overall team national title in the school's history. All-Americans Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes completed the collegiate season with a 44-3 record and won the AVCA Pairs Championship to mark the third consecutive year that a Trojan pair won the national crown.
For information on the USC beach volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com and follow @USCBeachVBall on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Periscope.
