UCLA's Consani, Weaver named Pac-12 beach volleyball pair of the week

SAN FRANCISCO - UCLA senior Julie Consani and junior Laurel Weaver recorded three dual match sweeps to earn the second Pac-12 Conference beach volleyball pair of the week award of the 2016 campaign.

Playing on the Nos. 4 and 5 courts, Consani and Weaver, from Newport Beach and Winnetka, Calif., respectively, were the only pair to go undefeated for nationally ranked UCLA, which posted a 2-1 record that included handing Pac-12 rival No. 7 ARIZONA its first loss of the season.

The duo opened the week with a convincing 21-8, 21-14 victory over Nicolette Stork and Nicolette Pinkney on Court 5 as part of the Bruins’ 5-0 sweep of CSUN.

Consani and Weaver earned one of UCLA’s points in a narrow 3-2 loss to No. 4 Florida State by edging Hailey Luke and Nikki Esposito (26-24, 21-13) on Court 5, then secured a critical point in the 3-2 victory over Arizona by sweeping the No. 4 pair of Mia Mason and Sara Pantovic (22-20, 21-15).

Pac-12 beach volleyball, the league’s 23rd sport, has a national-best three teams in the top seven of this week’s AVCA Top 10 poll - No. 3 USC (5-2), No. 4 UCLA (4-3) and No. 7 Arizona (5-1).

In the most recent DiG Magazine Top 20 poll released on March 7, seven of the Pac-12’s eight programs are either ranked or receiving votes. No. 2 USC, No. 3 UCLA, No. 6 Arizona, No. 14 WASHINGTON (0-0) and No. 19 CALIFORNIA (3-4) appear in the poll with STANFORD (2-2) and ARIZONA STATE (3-4) among others receiving votes.

Arizona State, California and USC are the only Pac-12 teams in action this week, headlined by the Women of Troy traveling to Hawai’i to face the fifth-ranked Rainbow Wahine and Nebraska. The Golden Bears face a trio of West Coast Conference foes in Pacific, St. Mary’s and USF as well as Sacramento State, while the Sun Devils head to Albuquerque, N.M., for the New Mexico Spring Beach Tournament with the Lobos, Colorado Mesa and New Mexico State.