USC Beach Volleyball All-American Julia Scoles Captures AVP MBO Crown

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – USC beach volleyball All-American Julia Scoles (Mooreville, N.C.) and partner Betsi Flint (Loyola Marymount) teamed to win the coveted AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open championship under rainy conditions at the Manhattan Beach Pier on Sunday, Aug. 20.

Scoles won two NCAA championships with the Women of Troy (2021-22) and secured her second-career AVP title on Sunday. She also won the 2022 Gold Series Atlanta Open with Trojan alumna Geena Urango (Los Alamitos, Calif.). Flint-Scoles is coached in the box by three-time USC women's volleyball All-American April Ross who herself is a four-time MBO champion.

Four-time USC All-American Sara Hughes (Mira Costa, Calif,) had her name added to the pier on Thursday (Aug. 17) as winner of the 2022 championship with Kelley Kolinske. Hughes was not in attendance and did not participate in the '23 Open due to a commitment to play in the FIVB Elite 16 Hamburg event with fellow USC All-American Kelly Cheng (Fullerton, Calif.). Cheng-Hughes has won two AVP events in New Orleans and Huntington Beach this season.

The win by Scoles represents the 74th individual Trojan AVP women's victory and is the 56th event won by at least one female USC athlete all-time. At least one USC alumna has now been crowned in 41 of the last 67 AVP events since the 2014 season.

Scoles and Flint went straight sets, 22-20, 21-13, to get the win in the championship final over the seventh-seeded pair of USC All-American Hailey Harward (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Kolinske. Former partners in college and on the pro tour, Scoles and Harward met on opposite sides of the AVP net for the third time in their careers. Their meeting guaranteed a Trojan would claim the 2023 MBO crown, but Scoles' win broke the 1-1 tie in the three all-time meetings.

As the top seed in the 32-team field, Scoles and Flint got off to a shaky start and were upset by the 32nd-seeded duo of Chloe Loreen and Natalie Robinson in three sets, 21-19, 15-21, 15-12, in the opening round.

The climb through the contender's bracket began for Flint-Scoles with a 21-11, 21-11 win over the 17th-seeded pair of Katie Lindstrom and Carly Wopat. In a three-set battle with Lexy Denaberg and Scoles' former partner Carly Kan, Flint-Scoles emerged with a 21-17, 13-21, 15-11 win to stay alive.

Scoles and Flint continued to move forward when their opponent 10th-seeded Brazilian sisters Larissa and Liliane Maestrini were forced to retire mid-second set. Larissa and Liliane won the first frame, 21-19, but trailed, 14-9, in the second. In what would have been their fourth contender's bracket match, Scoles and Flint walked over when Katie Spieler and Torrey Van Winden forfeited. Flint-Scoles then claimed a three-set win, 22-20, 19-21, 15-11, over Brook Bauer and Megan Rice to set up a meeting with second-seeded Corinne Quiggle and Sarah Schermerhorn. Flint-Scoles pulled away in the second to complete a 21-19, 21-13 win and move into the semifinal.

In the Sunday-morning semifinal, Flint-Scoles took down the eighth-seeded pair of Deahna Kraft and Zana Muno in straight sets, 21-13, 21-11, to reach the championship match.

All-told, eight USC beach Trojans played in the MBO main draw. Three-time All-American senior Megan Kraft (San Diego, Calif.) partnered with Emily Stockman and finished tied for third after falling to Harward-Kolinske in the contender's semifinals. Seeded fifth with Sarah Pavan, Urango finished tied for 13th. Madison "Maddog" Shields (El Dorado, Calif.) and partner Lydia Smith emerged from the qualifier and finished in a tie for 17th. Twin seniors Audrey Nourse (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Nicole Nourse (Newport Beach, Calif.) reached the main draw through the qualifier and finished in the 25th-place tie. Incoming freshman Ashley Pater (Bradenton, Fla.) and her partner Kennedy Coakley also qualified and finished in the same 25th-place tie.

All-American senior Delaynie Maple (San Diego, Calif.), Jenna Johnson (Stuart, Fla.), 2022 graduate Sunny Villapando (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), incoming transfer Maddi Kriz (Austin, Texas); and freshmen Bailey Showalter (North Bend, Wash.), Klaire VanDeusen (Saint Augustine, Fla.), and Madison White(Scottsdale, Ariz.) each played in the qualifier on Thursday (Aug. 17). Former volunteer assistant coach Laurel Weaver also played in the qualifier.

On the men's side, 2022 MBO champion Tri Bourne held the second seed with partner Chaim Schalk but finished in the seventh-place tie.

Under fourth-year head coach Dain Blanton, the USC beach volleyball team captured its third straight NCAA Championship (fifth NCAA title and sixth national title) in 2023. The Women of Troy finished the year ranked No. 1 and had an overall record of 32-5. USC added two more AVCA All-Americans to its history books with the third selection for Megan Kraft and the first-career honor for Delaynie Maple. Kraft was named the Pac-12's Player of the Year while she and Maple earned Pac-12 Pair of the Year laurels. Both were named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Team and were joined by Madison Shields and Madison White. Blanton finished his fourth season with a 105-15 career record and Gustavo Rocha was chosen as the AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year.

For more information on the USC beach volleyball team, a complete schedule, and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/beach. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow the team on Instagram and on Twitter @USCBeach.

Players Mentioned

Hailey Harward

Jenna Johnson

Megan Kraft

Delaynie Maple

Audrey Nourse

Nicole Nourse

Julia Scoles

Bailey Showalter

Klaire VanDeusen

Sunny Villapando

Madison White