No. 4 USC Beach Volleyball Opens The 2026 Season In Honolulu

Thursday, February 19

Honolulu, Hawai'i

1 p.m. PT

USC

Stanford

No. 4 USC Beach Volleyball Opens The 2026 Season In Honolulu

February 18, 2026 | Women's Beach Volleyball

HONOLULU – No. 4 USC Beach Volleyball is kicking off the 2026 season in Honolulu as the Women of Troy compete in the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic hosted by the University of Hawai'i. This is the third year in a row that USC is starting its season in Honolulu.

WHEREABOUTS
Match #1 vs No. 2 Stanford
Thursday, Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. PT
Series History: USC leads 17-5
Last Meeting: April 25, 2025
Result: USC lost 2-3

Match #2 vs No. 7 Loyola Marymount
Thursday, Feb. 19 at 4:45 p.m. PT
Series History: USC leads 32-2
Last Meeting: May 3, 2025
Result: USC lost 1-3

Match #3 at No. 16 Hawai'i
Friday, Feb. 20 at 11:45 a.m. PT
Series History: USC leads 19-3
Last Meeting: April 4, 2025
Result: USC won 5-0

Match #4 vs No. 9 California
Friday, Feb. 20 at 3:30 p.m. PT
Series History: USC leads 14-4
Last Meeting: April 25, 2025
Result: USC won 3-2

Match #5 vs No. 1 UCLA
Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2:15 p.m. PT
Series History: USC leads 29-21
Last Meeting: April 25, 2025
Result: USC won 3-1

Match #6 vs No. 6 Texas
Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4:45 p.m. PT
Series History: USC leads 1-0
Last Meeting: March 29, 2025
Result: USC won 3-0

SEASON OPENER
The Trojans have a tradition of starting the season off strong. They have an overall record of 14-0 in season openers. Last season, USC secured a 3-2 win over No. 12 Hawai'i to kick off the season. In their openers, the Trojans own five 5-0 sweeps, five 4-1 victories, and four 3-2 decisions.

NEW YEAR, NEW TROJANS
USC brings in 10 newcomers — six freshmen and four transfers — this season. The four collegiate transfers include graduate seniors Kerry Keefe and Manu Johnsen, who are moving outdoors after playing four years of indoor volleyball. Keefe, a Pacific Palisades native, is returning to Southern California after playing for Duke from 2022-24. She was an AVCA East Coast All-Region Team Honorable Mention selection as a junior in 2024 after earning Second Team All-ACC honors in 2023 and All-ACC Freshman Team honors in 2022.

Manu Johnsen comes to USC after playing three years of indoor volleyball at Kennesaw State, where she earned ASUN All-Conference honors in all three seasons. A native of Copenhagen, Denmark, Johnsen is not only one of three international players on the Trojan roster, but also the first player from Denmark in program history.

Alana Embry and Quincy Stephens are beach volleyball transfers from Utah and NC State, respectively. Embry, another Southern California native from Poway, Calif., put together a successful beach volleyball career at Hawai'i, where she was a 2024 Second Team AVCA All-American and a two-time All-Big West First Team honoree. She started her career playing indoor volleyball at New Mexico State in 2023.

Stephens had a 21-13 record on the No. 1 court for the Utes and earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Tournament Team. She led the Utes with 21 wins as a freshman before transferring to USC. Another transfer returning to her home state, Stephens is a native of Durham, Calif. and graduated from Chico High School in 2024.

Freshman phenom Sarah Wood, a Glen Mills, Pa. native who reclassified and enrolled early at USC, highlights the Trojans' star-studded freshman class. After winning her first women's open tournament as a 12-year-old, Wood became the youngest player (regardless of gender) to qualify for an AVP Main Draw at the age of 14. Throughout her rapid ascent, Wood became the youngest player to make an AVP Final at age 16, won a gold medal at the U21 NORCECA World Championship Qualifier, a silver medal the 2025 FIVB U21 World Championships, plus she was a member of USA's U19 and U21 national teams.

USC brings in three Californians: Kyra Zaengle, of Laguna Beach; Gracen Daniels, of La Jolla; and Grace Fogel, of Newport Beach. Gulf Breeze, Fla. native Bella Satterwhite and Ema Schnidrig — USC beach volleyball's first-ever Argentinian — round out the freshmen class.

ON THE ISLAND
USC is 31-6 all-time when playing in the state of Hawai'i. USC has only lost to Hawai'i, Stanford, LMU and UCLA in the Aloha State.

IN THE RANKINGS
The Trojans don't shy away from a challenge. USC will play six nationally ranked teams during its opening weekend, including No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 Stanford. Five of these six teams are in the Top 10 in the AVCA Preseason Poll.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDARD
The Women of Troy are known for their prowess on the sand. USC has won seven of the last 10 NCAA Championships, including becoming the first team to win four-straight NCAA titles.

AVCA PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Two Trojans landed on the inaugural AVCA Player of the Year Watch List following their performances in the 2025 season. Zoey Henson and Kennedy Coakley both landed on the 16-person watch list.

Henson finished last season as an AVCA First Team All-American, boasting a 24-13 record in the top spot for USC. The junior also earned All-MPSF Second Team honors for her performance throughout the season. Henson also earned MPSF/Molten Pair of the Week honors once last season.

Coakley earned a 30-5 record with Ashley Pater last season, playing primarily in the No. 2 position. Coakley also received the AVCA Top Flight Award for the No. 2 position while also garnering AVCA Second Team All-America honors. In her first season with the Trojans, Coakley also earned All-MPSF Second Team honors and was named to the MPSF All-Tournament team. Coakley also earned AVCA/CBVB Pair of the Week honors with Pater.