No. 4 USC Beach Volleyball Hosts Pac-12 South Invitational Weekend

LOS ANGELES – The fourth-ranked and back-to-back defending NCAA champion USC beach volleyball team (2-0) will co-host the 2023 Pac-12 South Invitational this weekend at Merle Norman Stadium. The Trojans' home sand will host four duals each day. USC takes on 12th-ranked California (1-1) at 8 a.m. PT on Saturday (March 4) to open the weekend and then will face No. 7 Stanford (6-2) at 2 p.m. on the same day. On Sunday, March 5, USC faces No. 16 Washington (2-2) at 10 a.m. and then concludes the invitational with a head-to-head with crosstown rival No. 1 UCLA (6-0) at 3 p.m. All matches at Merle Norman Stadium will be shown live on the Pac-12 Networks. Please visit USCTrojans.com/beach for a full schedule.

THIS WEEK
Merle Norman Stadium • Los Angeles, Calif.
PAC-12 SOUTH INVITATIONAL
LIVE TV: Pac-12 Networks (Anne Marie Anderson & Holly McPeak)

MATCH #3 • Saturday, March 4 • 8 a.m. PT
No. 4 USC (2-0) vs. No. 12 California (1-1)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 10-2 (.833)
STREAK: Won 2 • LAST 10: 8-2
LAST MEETING: W 4-1 (April 9, 2022 • Stanford, Calif.)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CalBears.com

MATCH #4 • Saturday, March 4 • 2 p.m. PT
No. 4 USC (2-0) vs. No. 7 Stanford (6-2)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 11-0 (1.000)
STREAK: Won 11 • LAST 10: 10-0
LAST MEETING: W 5-0 (April 9, 2022 • Stanford, Calif.)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoStanford.com

MATCH #5 • Sunday, March 5 • 10 a.m. PT
No. 4 USC (2-0) vs. No. 16 Washington (2-2)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 7-0 (1.000)
STREAK: Won 7 • LAST 10: 7-0
LAST MEETING: W 5-0 (March 27, 2022 • Tucson, Ariz.)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoHuskies.com

MATCH #6 • Sunday, March 5 • 3 p.m. PT
No. 4 USC (2-0) vs. No. 1 UCLA (6-0)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 21-14 (.600)
STREAK: Won 5 • LAST 10: 7-3
LAST MEETING: W 3-0 (May 7, 2022 • Gulf Shores, Ala.)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: UCLABruins.com

BARE E-SAND-SHELLS

USC is the back-to-back defending NCAA champion and owns five national titles including the first NCAA crown in 2016 (AVCA '15, NCAA '17, '21, '22).
The Trojans have also won four Pac-12 championships (2016, '17, '19, '22).
USC is 75-10 under fourth-year head coach Dain Blanton.
The Women of Troy are ranked No. 4 in both the AVCA and the CBVB.com Poll. It is the 90th time (of 90) the Trojans are ranked by the AVCA; USC's 89th time in the top 5. The Trojans have also held the No. 1 ranking a record 51 times.
USC is 74-11 all-time at Merle Norman Stadium. The Trojans were undefeated on home sand in 2022 (6-0) and have won nine straight home contests on MNS sand.
USC is on a 38-dual win streak dating back to March 5, 2022; the second longest in program history behind a 62-match win streak (March 11, 2016-April 27, 2017).
USC has celebrated 14 AVCA All-Americans (28 certificates). Two-time All-Americans Megan Kraft returns to the lineup for her junior season this spring.

THE CHAMP IS HERE: USC is the back-to-back defending NCAA champion ('21, '22). The Trojans captured the program's fourth NCAA title and fifth national crown in 2022. USC won the final AVCA championship in 2015 and owns the first two NCAA titles (2016, '17). The Women of Troy have also claimed four Pac-12 championships (2016, '17, '19, '22).

IN THE LONG RUN: The Trojans' active 38-dual winning streak is the team's second-longest streak of victories and marks the eighth time that USC has put together a double-digit win streak. In 2021, the Women of Troy had two winning streaks of 13 and 12 matches. The program record is 62 consecutive wins spanning two seasons from March 11, 2016, to April 27, 2017.

POLL POSITION: USC opened the 2023 season ranked fourth in the AVCA Coaches Top 20 preseason poll. The Women of Troy have been ranked in every AVCA poll for a total of 90 weeks. USC has also been ranked in the top five of the poll 89 times. The Trojans held that top-five distinction for 63 consecutive weeks from its inception until March 2, 2020. USC first seized the No. 1 ranking in both the AVCA and Volleyball Magazine polls on March 23, 2015, following a victory over then No. 1-ranked Hawai'i on the road and held the ranking for the rest of 2015. USC has been ranked No. 1 in 51 AVCA polls, the most all-time (Pepperdine ranks second at 17 times). The Trojans, Pepperdine, Hawai'i, UCLA, LSU, and Florida State are the only six teams ever to hold the top spot in the poll. USC is 134-14 all-time when ranked No. 1.

SANDCASTLE: The Trojans are 74-11 (.871) at Merle Norman Stadium since it opened in 2013. The Trojans won 19 straight home matches between 2014 and 2016; and went 10-0 in 2015 and 8-0 in 2014 on MNS sand. Only five teams have ever come to Merle Norman Stadium and beaten the Women of Troy: Pepperdine (3), UCLA (3), Florida State (3), Long Beach State (1) and LSU (1).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAND BOX: It has been a decade since Merle Norman Stadium opened for play on March 7, 2013. The stadium was the first of its kind as a dedicated collegiate beach volleyball facility. USC's first match in the stadium was a 4-1 victory over Loyola Marymount a few days after opening ceremonies (March 10, 2013).

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Players Mentioned

Megan Kraft