No. 2 USC Beach Volleyball Hosts Six Duals in Battle For Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – The No. 2-ranked USC beach volleyball team (6-0) and Merle Norman Stadium will serve as one of three host sites (Loyola Marymount and UCLA) for the Battle for Los Angeles this weekend (March 11-12). The Women of Troy seek to extend a 42-dual win streak, which includes 13 in a row at home when they welcome Concordia (4-6), Cal Poly (0-8), No. 16 Long Beach State (2-6), and No. 7 Stanford (9-3) for duals.

THIS WEEK
Merle Norman Stadium • Los Angeles, Calif.
BATTLE FOR LOS ANGELES
LIVE STREAM: USC Live Stream

MATCH #7 • Saturday, March 11 • 10 a.m. PT
No. 2 USC (6-0) vs. No. 16 Long Beach State (2-6)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 13-5 (.722)
STREAK: Won 12 • LAST 10: 10-0
LAST MEETING: W 3-2 (Feb. 24, 2023 • Merle Norman Stadium)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: LongBeachState.com

MATCH #8 • Saturday, March 11 • 12 p.m. PT
No. 2 USC (6-0) vs. Concordia (4-6)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 2-0 (1.000)
STREAK: Won 2 • LAST 10: 2-0
LAST MEETING: W 5-0 (April 14, 2015 • Irvine, Calif.)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CUIEagles.com

MATCH #9 • Sunday, March 12 • 10 a.m. PT
No. 2 USC (6-0) vs. No. 7 Stanford (9-3)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 12-0 (1.000)
STREAK: Won 12 • LAST 10: 10-0
LAST MEETING: W 3-2 (March 4, 2023 • Merle Norman Stadium)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoStanford.com

MATCH #10 • Sunday, March 12 • 12 p.m. PT
No. 2 USC (6-0) vs. Cal Poly (0-8)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 7-0 (1.000)
STREAK: Won 7 • LAST 10: 7-0
LAST MEETING: W 5-0 (April 15, 2022 • San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoPoly.com

BARE E-SAND-SHELLS • TL;DR

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 79-10 (.888) under fourth-year head coach Dain Blanton.
The Trojans are ranked No. 2 in the AVCA and CBVB.com polls. It is the 91st time (of 91) USC is ranked by the AVCA; its 90th time in the top 5. The Trojans have also been ranked No. 1 a record 51 times.
USC is 78-11 all-time at Merle Norman Stadium. The Trojans have won 13 straight home contests on MNS sand.
USC is on a 42-dual win streak dating to March 5, 2022; the second longest in program history. USC won 62 in a row March 11, 2016-April 27, 2017.
Twin seniors Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse rank tied for third among pairs in program history for total wins with 66. All-Americans Sophie Bukovec and Alexa Strange also had 66 wins together (2015-16).
Juniors Megan Kraft and Delaynie Maple were chosen as the Pac-12 Pair of the Week last week; the 27th time a USC pair has won the league's weekly award.
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.

LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy extended their active win streak to 42 duals with four wins as co-hosts of the Pac-12 South Invitational. USC earned 3-2 victories over No. 12 California and No. 7 Stanford on the first day and then claimed a 4-1 win over 16th-ranked Washington on the morning of the second day. In the tournament finale, the Trojans went down, 0-2, to crosstown rival and previously unbeaten No. 1-ranked UCLA but got victories at each of the odd-numbered courts, including the clinching point from seniors Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse to take down the Bruins.

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 42-dual win streak is the team's second-longest string of victories and is the eighth time that USC has put together a double-digit win streak. 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 91 weeks. USC has also been ranked in the top five of the poll 90 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 and UCLA rank tied for second at 17 times each). The Trojans, Pepperdine, Hawai'i, UCLA, LSU, Florida State, and TCU are the only seven teams ever to hold the top spot in the poll. USC is 134-14 all-time when ranked No. 1.

SANDCASTLE: The Trojans are 78-11 (.876) 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 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 (March 10, 2013).

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Players Mentioned

Megan Kraft

Delaynie Maple

Audrey Nourse

Nicole Nourse