University Southern California Trojans
USC Set to Host Inaugural Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships
April 26, 2016 | Women's Beach Volleyball
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Pairs and Team Bracket - Results Update
April 26, 2016
LOS ANGELES -- The top-ranked USC beach volleyball team and Merle Norman Stadium--Downtown Los Angeles' own urban beach--will host the inaugural Pac-12 Conference Beach Volleyball Championships this Thursday-Sunday, April 28-May 1.
The Women of Troy are the defending national champions (AVCA) and have the defending AVCA pairs champions of juniors Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes at their top court. The duo has won 61 straight matches and is 36-0 this season.
USC (26-2) sits atop the AVCA Coaches poll, but the Pac-12 boasts three of the nation's top six teams. No. 4 UCLA (17-4) and No. 6 Arizona (15-3) are also among the NCAA elite. Additionally, Arizona State (11-11), California (16-9), Oregon (2-8), Stanford (5-10), and Washington (3-4) comprise the eight teams that will vie for the first-ever conference title.The Pac-12 Championships will crown a team champion and will also produce a pairs' winner. The Trojans have won the last three AVCA Pairs National titles including by Claes and Hughes in 2015. Hughes teamed with Kirby Burnham to win the crown in 2014, and Burnham won the championship with Stevi Robinson in 2013.
Play begins with the 16-team pairs' championship first round on Thursday, April 28, at 1 p.m. PT. Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches will be played on the first day. On Friday, April 29, the Pac-12 Networks will broadcast the semifinals and the championship match at 10 and 11 a.m. PT respectively. At 1 p.m., the team competition begins with a top seed vs. the No. 8 seed. The double-elimination bracket will run through Saturday and conclude with semifinals at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 1, and the title match set for 4 p.m. PT. All four of Sunday's duals will be carried on Pac-12 Networks.
Admission to each of the four days of competition is free and parking is available at USC's PSX and PS2 parking structures on campus for $12. Media seeking credentials to cover the championships may contact Jeremy Wu in the USC Sports Information office (jjw@usc.edu, (213) 379-3977).
For more information on the USC beach volleyball team and a complete schedule, please visit USCTrojans.com and follow @USCBeach on Facebook, Twitter, Periscope, Instagram, and Snapchat. For more information on the inaugural Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships, please visit Pac-12.com/beachvolleyballchamps.
