Emily Hansen Returns as USC Beach Volleyball Assistant Coach

LOS ANGELES – The three-time defending NCAA champion USC beach volleyball team has hired Emily Hansen—previously a volunteer assistant coach and NCAA champion athlete with the Women of Troy—to serve as an assistant coach, head coach Dain Blanton announced on Monday, Sept. 25.

"We're so fortunate to be able to bring Emily back to our staff as a full-time coach," said Blanton. "She is such a presence among our student-athletes and has grown in leaps and bounds as a coach in her year with us. Having someone like Emily on our staff is a game changer and we're looking forward to getting to work with our full crew this fall."

Hansen previously served as the Trojans' volunteer assistant coach during the 2023 season and helped the Women of Troy capture a third consecutive NCAA championship. Following her season as USC's volunteer assistant, Hansen worked as a full-time inside sales representative for the Major League's Los Angeles Angels. She also has experience as the head indoor volleyball coach for the Surfside Volleyball Club's 12s and was the head indoor volleyball coach for the freshman team at Bishop Montgomery High School.

As a collegiate athlete Hansen joined the Trojans and helped USC capture the second of back-to-back NCAA championships in 2022; the program's fifth national title. During the season, she teamed with Megan Kraft, Shannon Scully, and Caroline Schafer.

Prior to USC, Hansen was a student-athlete at CSU Bakersfield where she was a two-time All-Big West honorable mention with the Roadrunners. She received Academic All-Big West Honors as a sophomore and junior and was named to the All-Big West second team as a freshman. Hansen teamed primarily with Hana Makonova for two seasons and went 14-12 overall in dual matches at the top two positions. She finished her CSU Bakersfield career with 27 wins to rank fourth in program history.

Hansen graduated from CSU Bakersfield in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice and minored in psychology. She also holds a Master of Science in criminal justice from USC's Bovard College.

Under fifth-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 X @USCBeach.

Players Mentioned

Emily Hansen

Megan Kraft

Delaynie Maple

Caroline Schafer

Shannon Scully

Madison White