Pac-12 announces 2021 beach volleyball All-Conference honors

SAN FRANCISCO - The Pac-12 Conference announced today the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball postseason honors and All-Conference teams for the 2021 season, as determined by a polling of the Conference coaches. USC junior Tina Graudina was voted Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and is part of the duo that was voted Pac-12 Pair of the Year alongside teammate Megan Kraft, who was also voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. STANFORD’S Andrew Fuller was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the first time.

PAC-12 PAIR OF THE YEAR: Tina Graudina, Jr., (Jurmala, Latvia) & Megan Kraft, Fr., (San Diego, Calif.), USC

Graudina and Kraft paced the top-ranked team in the country and NCAA champion with a 15-1 record. Included in the AVCA All-American pair's record was a 14-1 mark with just two sets dropped on the top court. Individually, Graudina was 27-4 overall (26-4 at No. 1) and Kraft was the only Trojan to reach the 30-win mark at 30-3. The duo ended the season on an eight-match winning streak and delivered the dual-clinching point six times, highlighted by two clinchers in both the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships. The pair was also named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team after leading the Trojans to their program's fourth national title. They are the fourth pair in five years to win the Conference’s Pair of the Year honor.

PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tina Graudina, Jr., USC (Jurmala, Latvia) 

Graudina, also the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2018, collects her second straight Player of the Year honor after guiding USC to the 2021 NCAA title. Playing almost exclusively at No. 1, Graudina compiled a 27-4 record across two partners on the season, highlighted by a perfect 8-0 postseason mark alongside freshman Megan Kraft. Among Graudina's other season honors was her third career AVCA All-America accolade, her third AVCA/CollegeBeachVB.com National Pair of the Week award, and her second NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team recognition following the Trojans' victory in Gulf Shores. 

PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Megan Kraft, Fr., USC (San Diego, Calif.)

Kraft posted an impressive debut season with a 30-3 overall individual record, the lone USC player to reach the 30-win mark. The freshman shared four partners across four courts, eventually landing with All-America junior Tina Graudina at No. 1 for a majority of the season, compiling a 15-1 record as a pair. She was part of the Pac-12 Pair of the Week alongside Graudina the same day the pair was nationally recognized as the AVCA/CollegeBeachVB.com Pair of the Week. Kraft joined Graudina on both the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships All-Tournament Teams, with the pair going a perfect 8-0 on the top court across the events.

PAC-12 COACH OF THE YEAR: Andrew Fuller, STANFORD 

In his fifth year at the helm, Fuller guided Stanford to its best season in program history and earned both Pac-12 and AVCA National Coach of the Year honors in the process. The Cardinal set a program record with 23 wins this season and earned its first NCAA Championships appearance with an at-large berth. Eleven of Stanford's 23 wins came over ranked opponents, including a program-record five top-10 victories. Fuller mentored the first AVCA First Team All-America pair - Xolani Hodel & Sunny Villapando - in program history in 2021.  

The coaches also voted on the All-Pac-12 and All-Freshman Teams, which are listed below. The All-Pac-12 Team is comprised of 10 student-athletes on the first team and 10 on the second team. Five student-athletes are also named to the All-Freshman Team.

2021 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Postseason Honors

Pac-12 Player of the Year: Tina Graudina, USC
Pac-12 Freshman of the Year: Megan Kraft, USC 
Pac-12 Pair of the Year: Tina Graudina and Megan Kraft, USC
Pac-12 Coach of the Year: Andrew Fuller, Stanford

2021 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball All-Conference Teams

First Team

Second Team

All-Freshman Team