USC Beach Volleyball’s Megan Kraft-Delaynie Maple Named AVCA/CBVB National Pair of the Week

Women’s Beach Volleyball | March 06, 2023

LOS ANGELES – USC beach volleyball juniors Megan Kraft (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) and Delaynie Maple (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) were chosen as the AVCA/CBVB National Pair of the Week as announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Monday, March 6.
 
It is the sixth time that a USC pair has been honored as the national pair of the week; a first for Maple but the second time for Kraft who was selected on April 13, 2021, with four-time All-American Tina Graudina. Last year, Graudina and fellow All-American Hailey Harward received the award on April 4.
 
Kraft-Maple went undefeated in four matches at the Pac-12 South Invitational over the weekend at Merle Norman Stadium and improved to 6-0 this season with a 7-0 all-time mark as a pair. They helped fourth-ranked USC garner victories over No. 12 California, No. 7 Stanford, No. 16 Washington, and previously unbeaten No. 1 UCLA. The wins helped run the Trojans’ winning streak to 42 consecutive duals dating back to March 5, 2022.
 
The Trojans’ top pair took down Ella Dreibholz and Maya Gessner of California in straight sets, 21-10, 21-13, to open the tournament and then fought through a three-set match to beat Stanford’s Charlie Ekstrom and Kate Reilly, 17-21, 21-17, 15-13. Kraft-Maple then dispatched of last week’s AVCA National Pair of the Week with a 21-18, 21-16 win over Washington’s Chloe Loreen and Natalie Robinson before they completed the weekend with a 23-21, 21-18 win over UCLA’s Lexy Denaburg and Abby Van Winkle.
 
Fourth-ranked USC is 6-0 on the season and prepares to host Stanford, Cal Poly, Long Beach State, and Concordia for duals at Merle Norman Stadium as part of the Battle For Los Angeles Invitational this weekend (March 11-12).
 
For more information on the USC beach volleyball team, a complete schedule, and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/beach. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow the team on Instagram and on Twitter @USCBeach.