Friday, May 3
Gulf Shores, Ala.
7:00 AM
USC
1
vs
3
Stetson vs. USC
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
Photo by: Justin Tafoya / NCAA
Top-seeded USC Toppled by Upstart Hatters
May 03, 2019 | Women's Beach Volleyball, Features
The Women of Troy were sent to the NCAA contender’s bracket following a 3-1 loss to eighth-seeded Stetson
GULF SHORES, Ala. – The top-seeded USC beach volleyball team (28-5) was stunned in a 3-1 upset loss to eighth-seeded Stetson (30-9) in the first round of the 2019 NCAA championship on Friday, May 3. The Women of Troy had a 12-dual winning streak snapped and fell to the Hatters for the first time in seven meetings.
The Trojans scored the first point of the dual with a 21-17, 21-12 win at the top court. There, senior Abril Bustamante and sophomore Tina Graudina knocked off Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Carly Perales to earn their 13th straight win. Despite the victory at center court, the road ahead looked long for the Women of Troy, who had lost first sets at each of the other four positions.
Stetson scored the equalizer from court three where Ana Costa and Rachel Noble defeated sophomore Haley Hallgren and senior Alexandra Poletto, 21-19, 21-17, to snap the USC duo's 10-match winning streak. At the No. 2 position, senior Terese Cannon and sophomore Sammy Slater struggled to pull ahead of Darby Dunn and Sammee Thomas; and ran out of rallies in a 21-19, 21-18 loss that put the Hatters ahead, 2-1, in the dual.
At court four, junior Joy Dennis and sophomore Maja Kaiser fought back from a big deficit in the first set, but fell, 21-19. The USC tandem controlled the second and had a 19-17 lead when the match was suspended.
The Hatters got the clinching point they needed from court five. Quinci Birker and Rebecca Igram solidified the history-making victory on a 21-16, 21-11 win over junior Cammie Dorn and freshman Mollie Ebertin. The win is Stetson's first NCAA championship victory, the first win at the championship by an eighth seed, and extends the Hatter's winning streak to 14 matches.
Because the NCAA championship is a double-elimination format, the Trojans now enter the contender's bracket where they will face fourth-seeded Pepperdine (20-10) in an elimination match at 1 p.m. CT (11 a.m. PT). The dual will be shown live on ESPNU with individual court coverage on the WatchESPN app and on ESPN3. The Trojans and Waves are in unfamiliar territory. With five of the seven previous national titles between the two schools, neither has ever been eliminated on the first day of the championship.
For more information on the three-time national champion USC beach volleyball team and a complete schedule, please visit USCTrojans.com and follow @USCBeach on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
[8] No. 8 Stetson def. [1] No. 1 USC, 3-1
Gulf Shores Public Beach • Gulf Shores, Ala.
NCAA Championship • First Round
Friday, May 3, 2019
Records: USC (28-5), Stetson (30-9)
1. Abril Bustamante/Tina Graudina (USC) def. Sunniva Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET); 21-17, 21-12
2. Darby Dunn/Sammee Thomas (STET) def. Terese Cannon/Sammy Slater (USC); 21-19, 21-18
3. Ana Costa/Rachel Noble (STET) def. Haley Hallgren/Alexandra Poletto (USC); 21-19, 21-17
4. Joy Dennis/Maja Kaiser (USC) vs. Samantha Harris/Julie Varga (STET); 19-21, 19-17 susp.
5. Quinci Birker/Rebecca Ingram (STET) def. Cammie Dorn/Mollie Ebertin (USC); 21-16, 21-11
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2, 5*
The Trojans scored the first point of the dual with a 21-17, 21-12 win at the top court. There, senior Abril Bustamante and sophomore Tina Graudina knocked off Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Carly Perales to earn their 13th straight win. Despite the victory at center court, the road ahead looked long for the Women of Troy, who had lost first sets at each of the other four positions.
Stetson scored the equalizer from court three where Ana Costa and Rachel Noble defeated sophomore Haley Hallgren and senior Alexandra Poletto, 21-19, 21-17, to snap the USC duo's 10-match winning streak. At the No. 2 position, senior Terese Cannon and sophomore Sammy Slater struggled to pull ahead of Darby Dunn and Sammee Thomas; and ran out of rallies in a 21-19, 21-18 loss that put the Hatters ahead, 2-1, in the dual.
At court four, junior Joy Dennis and sophomore Maja Kaiser fought back from a big deficit in the first set, but fell, 21-19. The USC tandem controlled the second and had a 19-17 lead when the match was suspended.
The Hatters got the clinching point they needed from court five. Quinci Birker and Rebecca Igram solidified the history-making victory on a 21-16, 21-11 win over junior Cammie Dorn and freshman Mollie Ebertin. The win is Stetson's first NCAA championship victory, the first win at the championship by an eighth seed, and extends the Hatter's winning streak to 14 matches.
Because the NCAA championship is a double-elimination format, the Trojans now enter the contender's bracket where they will face fourth-seeded Pepperdine (20-10) in an elimination match at 1 p.m. CT (11 a.m. PT). The dual will be shown live on ESPNU with individual court coverage on the WatchESPN app and on ESPN3. The Trojans and Waves are in unfamiliar territory. With five of the seven previous national titles between the two schools, neither has ever been eliminated on the first day of the championship.
For more information on the three-time national champion USC beach volleyball team and a complete schedule, please visit USCTrojans.com and follow @USCBeach on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
[8] No. 8 Stetson def. [1] No. 1 USC, 3-1
Gulf Shores Public Beach • Gulf Shores, Ala.
NCAA Championship • First Round
Friday, May 3, 2019
Records: USC (28-5), Stetson (30-9)
1. Abril Bustamante/Tina Graudina (USC) def. Sunniva Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET); 21-17, 21-12
2. Darby Dunn/Sammee Thomas (STET) def. Terese Cannon/Sammy Slater (USC); 21-19, 21-18
3. Ana Costa/Rachel Noble (STET) def. Haley Hallgren/Alexandra Poletto (USC); 21-19, 21-17
4. Joy Dennis/Maja Kaiser (USC) vs. Samantha Harris/Julie Varga (STET); 19-21, 19-17 susp.
5. Quinci Birker/Rebecca Ingram (STET) def. Cammie Dorn/Mollie Ebertin (USC); 21-16, 21-11
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2, 5*
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