University Southern California Trojans
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USC Beach Volleyball's Nourses and Kraft Earn Academic All-America Laurels
July 16, 2024 | Women's Beach Volleyball
Three Trojans earned Academic All-America honors in the same season for the first time in program history
AUSTIN, Texas – Four-time NCAA champion USC beach volleyball graduate twins Audrey Nourse (Newport Beach, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) and Nicole Nourse(Newport Beach, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) and senior Megan Kraft (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) were each named to the 2023-24 Academic All-America® Women's At-Large first team as selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC) on Tuesday, July 16.
Nicole Nourse was previously chosen for third-team honors as a sophomore (2021) and was also named to the third team in 2023 as a senior. Audrey Nourse was a third-team choice in 2023 as well. Kraft makes her first appearance on an Academic All-America team as the trio pushes the program's all-time total to four first-team Academic All-Americans with Mollie Ebertin in 2022. Including the third-team selection of Nicolette Martin in 2017, USC beach volleyball student-athletes own eight Academic All-America certificates.
The selections of Nourse, Nourse, and Kraft bring USC's all-time total of first-team Academic All-Americans to 47 since the program's inception in 1952. The multiple selections marks the 12th time (1960, '74, '79, '95, '96, 2013, '17, '20, '21, '22, '23, '24) and the fifth consecutive year that more than one Trojan has earned first-team laurels and is only the third time that USC has had three first-team Academic All-Americans in the same year (1979, 2013, 2024).
The Nourses are among an elite group of just seven Division I repeat selections which includes At-Large Academic All-American of the Year Hanna Abrahamsson (Colorado), Britta Curl (Wisconsin), Ingrid Lindblad (LSU), Ali Schrock (Illinois State), and Cassie Stevens (Auburn). A total of 50 individual student-athletes were recognized, with the 21 members of the first team showing a 3.89 cumulative grade-point average. 24 honorees had perfect 4.00 GPAs, including 12 on the first team.
USC's three of 21 first-team members are the most of any school. Including single selections from California, Colorado, Oregon State, UCLA, and Washington State, the Pac-12 had eight first-team selections ahead of six from the Big Ten and four from the Southeastern Conference.
The Nourse twins were 32-7 in their final season with the Women of Troy and completed their careers as a pair at 123-23 all-time. Nicole's 127-career victories rank sixth all-time in USC history and Audrey's 124 wins are tied for ninth in program history. Both sisters were named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Team and were chosen to the NCAA All-Tournament Team for the third time in their careers. Kraft was half the Pac-12's Pair of the Year (with All-American Delaynie Maple) and was chosen as the league's player of the year for the second time. Kraft was also named the AVCA's National Player of the Year and finished with 125 victories to rank eighth all-time in school history.
The Women of Troy won an unprecedented fourth straight NCAA championship in 2024 to up the program's total to seven all-time national titles. Top-ranked USC finished the season 37-5 overall and went 4-0 at the championship with an incredible 12-0 mark in individual court play. It was the 136th national title won by a USC team and the school's 113th NCAA team championship. USC became the first women's team in school history to win four consecutive national titles and brought home the 38th women's national championship; the 28th NCAA crown won by the Women of Troy. Fifth-year head coach and AVCA National Coach of the Year Dain Blanton improved to 17-0 in NCAA duals and improved to 4-for-4 in national championship appearances.
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.
Nicole Nourse was previously chosen for third-team honors as a sophomore (2021) and was also named to the third team in 2023 as a senior. Audrey Nourse was a third-team choice in 2023 as well. Kraft makes her first appearance on an Academic All-America team as the trio pushes the program's all-time total to four first-team Academic All-Americans with Mollie Ebertin in 2022. Including the third-team selection of Nicolette Martin in 2017, USC beach volleyball student-athletes own eight Academic All-America certificates.
The selections of Nourse, Nourse, and Kraft bring USC's all-time total of first-team Academic All-Americans to 47 since the program's inception in 1952. The multiple selections marks the 12th time (1960, '74, '79, '95, '96, 2013, '17, '20, '21, '22, '23, '24) and the fifth consecutive year that more than one Trojan has earned first-team laurels and is only the third time that USC has had three first-team Academic All-Americans in the same year (1979, 2013, 2024).
The Nourses are among an elite group of just seven Division I repeat selections which includes At-Large Academic All-American of the Year Hanna Abrahamsson (Colorado), Britta Curl (Wisconsin), Ingrid Lindblad (LSU), Ali Schrock (Illinois State), and Cassie Stevens (Auburn). A total of 50 individual student-athletes were recognized, with the 21 members of the first team showing a 3.89 cumulative grade-point average. 24 honorees had perfect 4.00 GPAs, including 12 on the first team.
USC's three of 21 first-team members are the most of any school. Including single selections from California, Colorado, Oregon State, UCLA, and Washington State, the Pac-12 had eight first-team selections ahead of six from the Big Ten and four from the Southeastern Conference.
The Nourse twins were 32-7 in their final season with the Women of Troy and completed their careers as a pair at 123-23 all-time. Nicole's 127-career victories rank sixth all-time in USC history and Audrey's 124 wins are tied for ninth in program history. Both sisters were named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Team and were chosen to the NCAA All-Tournament Team for the third time in their careers. Kraft was half the Pac-12's Pair of the Year (with All-American Delaynie Maple) and was chosen as the league's player of the year for the second time. Kraft was also named the AVCA's National Player of the Year and finished with 125 victories to rank eighth all-time in school history.
The Women of Troy won an unprecedented fourth straight NCAA championship in 2024 to up the program's total to seven all-time national titles. Top-ranked USC finished the season 37-5 overall and went 4-0 at the championship with an incredible 12-0 mark in individual court play. It was the 136th national title won by a USC team and the school's 113th NCAA team championship. USC became the first women's team in school history to win four consecutive national titles and brought home the 38th women's national championship; the 28th NCAA crown won by the Women of Troy. Fifth-year head coach and AVCA National Coach of the Year Dain Blanton improved to 17-0 in NCAA duals and improved to 4-for-4 in national championship appearances.
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.
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