Women’s Beach Volleyball | August 20, 2023
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – USC beach volleyball All-American Julia Scoles (Mooreville, N.C.) and partner Betsi Flint (Loyola Marymount) teamed to win the coveted AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open championship under rainy conditions at the Manhattan Beach Pier on Sunday, Aug. 20.
Scoles won two NCAA championships with the Women of Troy (2021-22) and secured her second-career AVP title on Sunday. She also won the 2022 Gold Series Atlanta Open with Trojan alumna Geena Urango (Los Alamitos, Calif.). Flint-Scoles is coached in the box by three-time USC women’s volleyball All-American April Ross who herself is a four-time MBO champion.
Four-time USC All-American Sara Hughes (Mira Costa, Calif,) had her name added to the pier on Thursday (Aug. 17) as winner of the 2022 championship with Kelley Kolinske. Hughes was not in attendance and did not participate in the ’23 Open due to a commitment to play in the FIVB Elite 16 Hamburg event with fellow USC All-American Kelly Cheng (Fullerton, Calif.). Cheng-Hughes has won two AVP events in New Orleans and Huntington Beach this season.
The win by Scoles represents the 74th individual Trojan AVP women’s victory and is the 56th event won by at least one female USC athlete all-time. At least one USC alumna has now been crowned in 41 of the last 67 AVP events since the 2014 season.
Scoles and Flint went straight sets, 22-20, 21-13, to get the win in the championship final over the seventh-seeded pair of USC All-American Hailey Harward (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Kolinske. Former partners in college and on the pro tour, Scoles and Harward met on opposite sides of the AVP net for the third time in their careers. Their meeting guaranteed a Trojan would claim the 2023 MBO crown, but Scoles’ win broke the 1-1 tie in the three all-time meetings.
As the top seed in the 32-team field, Scoles and Flint got off to a shaky start and were upset by the 32nd-seeded duo of Chloe Loreen and Natalie Robinson in three sets, 21-19, 15-21, 15-12, in the opening round.
The climb through the contender’s bracket began for Flint-Scoles with a 21-11, 21-11 win over the 17th-seeded pair of Katie Lindstrom and Carly Wopat. In a three-set battle with Lexy Denaberg and Scoles’…
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