No. 4 USC Beach Volleyball Opens Title Defense on Home Sand

Women’s Beach Volleyball | February 22, 2023

LOS ANGELES – The No. 4-ranked and back-to-back defending NCAA champion USC beach volleyball team (0-0) opens its 2023 campaign on home sand with duals against sixth-ranked Grand Canyon (12:15 a.m. PT) and No. 14 Long Beach State (2:15 p.m.) at Merle Norman Stadium on Friday, Feb. 24. The Women of Troy won 36 consecutive matches to close out the 2022 season and secure the program’s fourth NCAA crown (fifth national title overall). Last season, the Trojans were undefeated at home (6-0). They have won seven straight home matches and are undefeated in 11 previous season openers.

THIS WEEK

Merle Norman Stadium • Los Angeles, Calif.

MATCH #1 • Friday, February 24 • 12:15 p.m. PT

No. 4 USC (0-0) vs. No. 6 Grand Canyon (0-0)

SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 9-1 (.900)

STREAK: Won 2 • LAST 10: 9-1

LAST MEETING: W 4-1 (March 5, 2022 • MNS)

TV/STREAM: USC Live Stream

OPPONENT WEBSITE: GCULopes.com

MATCH #2 • Friday, February 24 • 2:15 p.m. PT

No. 4 USC (0-0) vs. No. 14 Long Beach State (0-0)

SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 12-5 (.706)

STREAK: Won 11 • LAST 10: 10-0

LAST MEETING: W 5-0 (March 6, 2022 • MNS)

TV/STREAM: USC Live Stream

OPPONENT WEBSITE: LongBeachState.com

BARE E-SAND-SHELLS

• USC is the back-to-back defending NCAA champion and owns five national titles including the first NCAA crown in 2016 (AVCA ’15, NCAA ’17, ’21, ’22).
• The Trojans have also won four Pac-12 championships (2016, ’17, ’19, ’22).
• USC is 73-10 under fourth-year head coach Dain Blanton.
• The Women of Troy are ranked No. 4 in both the AVCA and the CBVB.com Poll. It is the 88th time (of 88) the Trojans are ranked by the AVCA; USC’s 87th time in the top 5. The Trojans have also held the No. 1 ranking a record 51 times.
• USC is 72-11 all-time at Merle Norman Stadium. The Trojans were undefeated on home sand in 2022 (6-0) and have won seven straight home contests.
• The Women of Troy are 11-0 all-time in season openers.
• USC begins the season with a 36-dual win streak intact; the second longest in program history behind a 62-match win streak (March 11, 2016-April 27, 2017).
• USC has…