No. 1 USC Beach Volleyball Takes Aim at Unprecedented Fourth Straight NCAA Crown

Women’s Beach Volleyball | April 30, 2024

GULF SHORES, Ala. – The three-time defending NCAA champion USC beach volleyball team (33-5) earned the top seed among 17 teams competing in the 2024 NCAA Championship and will face either Atlantic Sun champion North Florida (24-11) or Ohio Valley champion Chattanooga (19-9) in the round of 16. The Women of Troy are scheduled to play in the round of 16 at 11 a.m. CT (9 a.m. PT). All opening- and first-round matches are scheduled to be shown live on ESPNU. Quarterfinals and semifinals (May 4) will be carried live by ESPN2. The championship dual is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT on Sunday (May 5) and will also be shown live on ESPN2.

THIS WEEK

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

Gulf Beach Place • Gulf Shores, Ala.

WATCH LIVE: ESPNU/ESPN2/ESPN

MATCH #39 • Friday, May 3 • 11 a.m. CT/9 a.m. PT

[1] No. 1 USC (33-5) vs. [16] No. 16 North Florida (24-11) or [17] Chattanooga (19-9)

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 (5)

NCAA TOURNAMENT RECORD: 27-4 (.871)

STREAK: Won 13 • LAST 10: 10-0

LAST DUAL: W 3-2 vs. UCLA (May 7, 2023 • Gulf Shores, Ala.)

CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE: NCAA.com

BARE E-SAND-SHELLS • TL;DR

• USC makes its eighth appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Trojans have won the last three NCAA championships and ownssix national titles including the first NCAA crown awarded in 2016 (AVCA ’15, NCAA ’17, ’21, ’22, ’23).
• The Trojans won the 2024 Pac-12 title to earn the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament and own a total of five Pac-12 championships (2016, ’17, ’19, ’22, ’24). USC won both the first (2016) and the final (2024) Pac-12 crowns.
• USC is 138-20 (.873) under fifth-year head coach Dain Blanton.
• The Trojans are ranked No. 1 in the AVCA poll (No. 1, CBVB). It is the 111th time (of 111) USC is ranked by the AVCA; its 110th time among the top 5. The Trojans have also held the No. 1 spot a record 48 times and are 151-18 in duals when they are the top-ranked team.
• USC has won 13 consecutive duals at the NCAA championship and is 27-4 all-time in the tournament. The Trojans are 34-8 all-time in the state of Alabama.
• In individual matches, Trojan pairs are…