No. 2 USC Beach Volleyball Treks to SLO for Center of Effort Challenge

LOS ANGELES – The No. 2-ranked USC beach volleyball team (21-1) rides an 11-dual win streak up to California's central coast for the Center of Effort Challenge this weekend (April 14-15). Hosted by Cal Poly at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex, the Trojans will face No. 4 Florida State (27-4), No. 6 Loyola Marymount (21-4), and No. 11 Long Beach State (19-11) in pool matches before a fourth opponent to be determined by pool results. The Women of Troy are 8-0 all-time in San Luis Obispo and their next win would be the program's national-best 300th all-time victory and the 95th in head coach Dain Blanton's career.

THIS WEEK
Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex • San Luis Obispo, Calif.
CENTER OF EFFORT CHALLENGE

MATCH #23 • Friday, April 14 • 12:30 p.m. PT
No. 2 USC (21-1) vs. No. 6 Loyola Marymount (21-4)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 24-0 (1.000)
STREAK: Won 24 • LAST 10: 10-0
LAST MEETING: W 3-2 (Apr. 15, 2022 • San Luis Obispo)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: LMULions.com

MATCH #24 • Friday, April 14 • 3 p.m. PT
No. 2 USC (21-1) vs. No. 4 Florida State (27-4)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 19-5 (.792)
STREAK: Won 6 • LAST 10: 9-1
LAST MEETING: W 3-2 (Mar. 31, 2023 • Manhattan Beach)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: Seminoles.com

MATCH #25 • Saturday, April 15 • 10:15 a.m. PT
No. 2 USC (21-1) vs. No. 11 Long Beach State (19-11)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 14-5 (.734)
STREAK: Won 13 • LAST 10: 10-0
LAST MEETING: W 4-1 (Mar. 11, 2023 • Merle Norman Stadium)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: LongBeachState.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).
USC has also won four Pac-12 championships (2016, '17, '19, '22).
USC is 94-11 (.895) under fourth-year head coach Dain Blanton.
The Trojans are ranked No. 2 in the AVCA and CBVB polls. It is the 96th time (of 96) USC is ranked by the AVCA; its 95th time in the top 5. The Trojans have also been ranked No. 1 a record 41 times.
The Women of Troy are on an active 11-dual win streak. It is USC's longest of the season and the eighth-longest in program history. It is also the Trojans' ninth all-time double-digit win streak.
USC is 8-0 in matches played in San Luis Obispo. The Trojans have met both Florida State and Long Beach State in matches earlier this season, but last met LMU at this same tournament last spring.
The Trojans' all-time record sits at at 299-49. USC's next victory will make it the first program in NCAA history to reach the 300-win mark.
Twin seniors Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse rank third among pairs in school history with 80 total wins. The sisters have played 93 matches together, which also ranks third in program history. They need just 11 wins to catch second place in school history (Nicolette Martin and Allie Wheeler; 2014-16).
USC has celebrated 14 AVCA All-Americans (28 certificates). Two-time All-American Megan Kraft returns to the lineup for her junior season this spring.
Five USC freshman have seen action in dual matches: Delaney Karl, Bailey Showalter, Mabyn Thomas, Gabby Walker, and Madison White.

LAST TIME OUT: USC extended its win streak to 11 duals with four wins at the Pac-12 North Invitational. The Trojans went 19-1 overall in matches and dropped the one point all weekend at the No. 4 position to Arizona. The dual win streak is the eighth longest in program history and marked the ninth time that USC has produced a double-digit win streak. On streaks, twin seniors Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse have won 10 in a row and became the third USC pair ever to reach the 80-win plateau (80-13 all-time). Madison Shields and Madison White racked up their 11th straight win and improved to 16-5 on the season with a 4-0 weekend at the Pac-12 North invite.

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' 46-dual win streak (March 5, 2022-March 12, 2023) was the program's second-longest and marked the eighth time that USC put together a double-digit win streak. The school record is 62 consecutive wins, which also spanned 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 96 weeks. USC has also been ranked in the top five of the poll 95 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 41 AVCA polls, the most all-time. 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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Delaney Karl

Megan Kraft

Audrey Nourse

Nicole Nourse

Bailey Showalter

Mabyn Thomas

Gabby Walker

Madison White