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No. 1 USC Beach Volleyball Opens Title Defense at No. 15 Long Beach State

by usctrojans.com
Feb 23, 2022

LOS ANGELES – Four-time beach volleyball national champion USC (0-0) begins defense of its 2021 NCAA crown this week with a visit to 15th-ranked Long Beach State (0-0) on Thursday, Feb. 24. The Trojans and 49ers will meet for the 16th time but will do battle in Long Beach for only the first time since 2013. USC has won nine straight over LBSU and seeks to run its streak of victories in season openers to 11. The Women of Troy begin the 2022 campaign as the No. 1-ranked team in the AVCA Coaches Poll. It is the 77th time the Trojans are ranked in the poll and the 44th time USC holds the top spot in the national rankings.

MATCH #1 • Thursday, February 24 • 1 p.m. PT
No. 1 USC (0-0) at No. 15 Long Beach State (0-0)
LBSU Sand Courts • Long Beach, Calif.
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 10-5 (.667)
STREAK: Won 9 • LAST 10: 9-1
LAST MEETING: W 5-0 (March 13, 2021 • MNS)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: LongBeachState.com

BARE E-SAND-SHELLS

  • Defending NCAA champion USC owns four beach volleyball national championships including the first-ever NCAA title in 2016 (AVCA '15, NCAA '17, '21).
  • The Women of Troy also own three Pac-12 crowns (2016, '17, '19).
  • Third-year head coach Dain Blanton took the helm for the Women of Troy in July 2019 and is 36-9 overall.
  • USC opens the season ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Coaches Poll and CBVB.com Poll. It is the 77th time (of 77) the Trojans are ranked; USC's 76th time in the top 5. It is also the 44th time that the Women of Troy hold the No. 1 ranking.
  • 13 different Women of Troy have received AVCA All-America notice for a total of 24 certificates. USC returns four All-Americans in 2022 including captains graduate Julia Scoles, Sammy Slater, and Tina Graudina, and So. Megan Kraft.

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