USC Beach Volleyball Receives No. 2 Seed in NCAA Championship Field

INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 1-ranked USC beach volleyball team (26-4) received the No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA Championship at Gulf Shores, Ala., May 7-9, the NCAA selection committee announced on Sunday, May 2. All matches at the championship are set to be shown live on the ESPN family of networks with streaming available at WatchESPN.com.
 
The Women of Troy make their fifth appearance in the NCAA championship tournament and will face the seventh seed No. 6-ranked Cal Poly (23-9) in the opening round on Friday (May 7) at 11 a.m. CT (9 a.m. PT). USC also received the No. 2 seed in the inaugural NCAA championship (2016) where it went on to win the first-ever NCAA crown. 
 
USC is 14-4 overall in duals at the NCAA championship with a 46-22 overall record in individual matches, including a 14-0 mark at the top court. The Trojans are 21-8 all-time on Gulf Shores Beach, a record which includes competitions at the AVCA Championships (2013-15).
 
Under the direction of second-year head coach Dain Blanton, the Trojans finished as the Pac-12 runner-up to top-seeded and No. 2-ranked UCLA (28-3). USC produced winning streaks of 13 and 12 duals this spring and nine of the Trojans' 10 starters have eclipsed the 20-win mark this season. The Women of Troy are led by returning All-American junior and 2020 Olympian Tina Graudina; and All-American senior Sammy Slater. USC pairs were awarded Pac-12 Pair of the Week honors five times in 2021.
 
USC has won three collegiate beach national championships including the first two NCAA titles awarded in 2016 and 2017. The Trojans also won the final AVCA title in 2015. UCLA won the last two NCAA crowns (2018, '19). The Women of Troy own three Pac-12 titles (2016, 2017, 2019) to the Bruins' two (2018, 2021); and each of the first four NCAA championships has been won by one of the two schools.
 
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.