No. 1 USC beach volleyball delivered a hard-fought 3-2 victory over No. 3 Pepperdine yesterday to win its third straight national championship.Click here for the full recap!
The Trojans earned a spot in the championship match by beating South Carolina, 4-0, Hawai'i, 4-0, and Pepperdine, 3-0. Pepperdine then won the contender's bracket to earn a rematch with USC in the championship.
The Waves came out of the gates strong with a straight-sets win over USC's Abril Bustamante and Joy Dennis on Court 4. But USC's Jenna Belton and Jo Kremer returned the favor on Court 5, tying things up as the teams headed into the second flight of matches.
All three of the Top 3 courts would go down to a third-set tiebreak. Pepperdine went up 2-1 with a three-set victory on Court 2, but USC's star duo of Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes tied things right back up, turning all eyes to Court 3, where USC's Terese Cannon and Nicolette Martin were also locked in a tiebreaker.
Martin's strong serving and Cannon's precise placement gave USC a slight advantage, setting up a match point which saw Cannon deliver the final blow.
Click here for highlights of the instant classic championship match!
Martin and Cannon, along with Claes, Hughes, Bustamante and Dennis, were named to the NCAA All-Tournament team.
The Women of Troy finished the season with a school-record 38 wins and just one loss. After winning the AVCA National Championship in 2015 and the inaugural NCAA Championship last year, the team has now won three straight national titles. Today's title is USC's 127th all-time and 104th NCAA crown.
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