USC Opens NCAA Title Defense Against Florida State

LOS ANGELES – The three-time defending national champion USC beach volleyball team (25-12) will defend its back-to-back NCAA titles as the fifth seed in the 2018 NCAA Championship. The Trojans earned one of two at-large berths and face fourth seed Florida State (30-6) at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, May 4, in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Seminoles won the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association crown. The dual will be shown live on ESPNU with court-by-court coverage on ESPN+ and ESPN3 digital platforms. USC and FSU met twice in the inaugural NCAA tournament in 2016.

USC has won each of the last three collegiate beach volleyball national championships including the final AVCA title in 2015 and each of the first two NCAA crowns (2016-17). The Trojans have won 12 consecutive duals in Gulf Shores beginning with the 2015 run. Pepperdine owns two national titles (2012 and 2014 AVCA) and Long Beach State claimed the only other championship in 2013.

2018 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP • FIRST ROUND
Match #38 • Friday, May 4 • 10 a.m. CT (8 a.m. PT)
[5] No. 5 USC (25-12) vs. [4] No. 7 Florida State (30-6)
Gulf Shores Beach • Gulf Shores, Ala.
Series History: USC leads, 8-3 (.727) • Streak: Won 6
Last Meeting: W, 3-2 (Mar. 11, 2018 • Manhattan Beach)
TV: ESPNU & ESPN3 (Courtney Lyle & Sam Gore)
Opponent Website: Seminoles.com
Tournament Website: NCAA.com

BARE E-SAND-SHELLS

USC is the three-time defending national champion and won the first-ever NCAA beach volleyball title in 2016 (AVCA, 2015).
7th-year head coach Anna Collier is 171-30 (.851) and is the first and only collegiate head coach to reach 150 career victories.
The Trojans have won 12 consecutive matches in Gulf Shores, Ala., dating back to their run to the 2015 AVCA championship.
Only seven teams have ever beaten the Trojans in a dual match: Pepperdine (12), Long Beach State (5), Florida State (3), Hawai'i (3), UCLA (3), California (1), and LSU (1). Of those, only Pepperdine holds a winning record (12-10).
USC has matched 24 different pairs this season and started 20 different lineups.
Abril Bustamante and Tina Graudina lead all USC pairs with a 28-2 record. Terese Cannon and Sammy Slater are second with a 24-5 mark.

SCOUTING REPORT: Florida State (30-6) enters the championship on an 18-match winning streak. In the 10 preceding matches, the Seminoles were 4-6 through a stretch that includes a 3-2 loss to USC in Manhattan Beach. FSU won the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association championship and went nearly unscathed through six duals that included five 5-0 sweeps and one 4-1 victory over LSU. The 'Noles top pair of Vanessa Freire and Victoria Paranagua are 14-2 on the season. Katie Horton and Hailey Luke are 31-3 overall in matches played at all but the No. 5 position. Florida State is one of just seven teams ever to have beaten USC in a dual, but the Trojans won the only meetings this season. USC also defeated Florida State in back-to-back matches to claim the 2016 NCAA championship and has won six straight over the Seminoles for a 9-3 all-time record.

TRACK THE TROJANS: Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCBeach on Twitter for score updates during home matches and select road matches. The Trojans are also active on Instagram, Facebook, Periscope, and Snapchat. Search @USCBeach and follow us today!

LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy finished as Pac-12 runner-up despite strong showings against eventual champion UCLA. USC dropped two 3-2 decisions to the Bruins but earned two wins over California and one over Arizona State. In the process, Abril Bustamante and Tina Graudina extended their winning streak to 19 consecutive matches before falling in the title dual. At the No. 5 position, the newly-formed duo of Haley Hallgren and Alexandra Poletto found their legs and earned a trio of three-set wins and completed the weekend with a 5-0 mark.

THE LONG ROAD: USC has endured a trying spring fit with injuries, and uncertainty, but has emerged with 25 victories despite having employed 21 different lineups and 24 different pairings. At the top court, junior Abril Bustamante and freshman Tina Graudina lead all USC pairs with a 28-2 overall record, which is among the best in the nation. At the second position, senior Terese Cannon and freshman Sammy Slater are 24-5 overall. USC's other three pairs were only solidified two weeks ago due to the sudden departure of a key player. Seventh-year head coach Anna Collier has posted her fifth straight 25-win season and became the first and only collegiate head coach to reach 150 wins this year. She is 171-30 all-time with a .851 winning percentage.

SMART COOKIE: Senior Jo Kremer was named the 2018 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year this week. The two-time Pac-12 All-Academic Team choice is the second Trojan to be chosen for the Scholar-Athlete award, which is given to the top senior in each of the Pac-12's 24 championship sports. Nicolette Martin was chosen for the 2017 honor, preceding Kremer.

ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS: On Saturday, April 23, 2016, USC defeated Hawai'i, 3-0, to make head coach Anna Collier the first collegiate beach volleyball coach to reach the 100 career victories mark. She is now 171-30 (.851) all-time. The next closest coach is Pepperdine's Nina Matthies who reached 100 in 2017.

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Players Mentioned

Abril Bustamante

Terese Cannon

Tina Graudina

Haley Hallgren

Jo Kremer

Nicolette Martin

Alexandra Poletto

Sammy Slater