Women’s Beach Volleyball | May 05, 2023
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Two USC beach volleyball pairs received the Top Flight Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Friday, May 5.
At the No. 1 position, juniors Megan Kraft (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) and Delaynie Maple (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) were honored; and at the No. 3 position, the Trojans’ pair of graduate Madison Shields (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge HS) and freshman Madison White (Scottsdale, Ariz./ASU Preparatory Academy) received Top Flight recognition.
All four student-athletes were also named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Team on Thursday, May 4. Kraft and Maple were named first-teamers and Shields and White were chosen for second-team honors. Additionally, Kraft-Maple earned AVCA All-America first-team notice.
Maple receives her third-career Top Flight award. She also reached Top Flight status in 2021 with Joy Dennis as the No. 4 pair and earned Top Flight notice at the No. 3 position in 2022 with Julia Scoles. Kraft is a two-time honoree after garnering Top Flight honors in 2022 with Sammy Slater at the No. 2 position. Shields was a Top Flight winner with Melanie Paul in 2022 when the duo played at Pepperdine’s No. 1 spot. White earns her first-career Top Flight award.
As the Trojans’ No. 1 duo Kraft and Maple are 25-1 this season and 26-1 all-time. They enter the NCAA Championship tournament on a 15-match win streak and have dropped just four sets this spring. Kraft-Maple was named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team, earned Pac-12 Pair of the Week honors on March 7, and was the AVCA/CBVB National Pair of the Week on March 6. Shields and White are 21-7 as a pair this spring. Individually, White is 24-8 in her first season and Shields is 22-7. The duo is 16-1 at the No. 3 position and generated a 15-match win streak that spanned nearly a month from March 17 to April 15.
The Top Flight awards program is designed to recognize excellence in collegiate beach volleyball from all over the country and across all flights. The nature of beach volleyball dictates that each player fills an important role on the…
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