USC Trojans Women's Beach Volleyball History & Archive
Overview
In 2012, USC added sand volleyball as one of 16 collegiate programs to field the NCAA’s newest emerging sport. Under their first head coach Anna Collier, the Women of Troy finished third nationally in 2013 and 2014 before winning the AVCA national title in 2015, going 28-0.
In 2016, the NCAA sponsored its first national collegiate championship and recognized the sport as beach volleyball. USC captured the first-ever NCAA championship in the sport in 2016 and repeated the feat in 2017 for three straight national crowns. The Trojans finished fourth in 2018 and were the national runner-up in 2019.
Following Collier’s retirement, former volunteer assistant coach and Olympic gold medalist Dain Blanton took the reins as head coach in the fall of 2019.
Under Blanton and behind the return of Latvian Olympian and four-time All-American Tina Graudina, USC won its third NCAA title in 2021 and repeated in 2022. In 2023, the Women of Troy three-peated to secure the program’s fifth NCAA crown and accomplished the unthinkable with a fourth straight national title in 2024.
The duo of Kirby Burnham and Stevi Robinson won the AVCA national pairs title in 2013. Burnham then joined Sara Hughes to win the 2014 crown and then Hughes and Kelly Claes claimed it in 2015. Former Trojan indoor players April Ross and Jennifer Kessy were silver medalists in beach volleyball at the 2012 Olympics, and Ross also won a bronze in 2016 and gold in 2020.
19 different Women of Troy have combined to collect 36 AVCA AllAmerica certificates (30 of the first-team variety), the most of any program in the country. Graudina, Hughes, and Megan Kraft are each four-time AllAmericans. In 2024, Claes (now Cheng) and Hughes earned qualification into the Olympic Games in Paris. Graudina also qualified for the second time and All-American Sophie Bukovec earned a spot in the Olympic field to represent her native Canada to give the program a total of four Olympians.
2025 Season
2023 Season
2023 Season
2022 Season
2021 Season
2020 Season
2019 Season
2018 Season
2017 Season
2016 Season
2015 Season
2014 Season
2013 Season
2012 Season
Bowls | Crosstown Cup | Facilities | George Tirebiter | Honda Winners | Jeweled Shillelagh | Olympians | National Titles | Sports Illustrated Covers | Sullivan Award Winners | Spirit | Tommy Trojan | Traveler | "Trojans" Nickname | USC Hall Of Fame | Victory Bell
Heisman Trophy Winners
Mike Garrett | O.J. Simpson | Charles White | Marcus Allen | Carson Palmer | Matt Leinart
