Pac-12 announces 2023 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 2023 season, as determined by a polling of the Conference coaches. USC senior Megan Kraft was voted Pac-12 Player of the Year and part of the Pac-12 Pair of the Year with teammate Delaynie Maple. UCLA's Maggie Boyd was voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and UCLA’s Stein Metzger was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the league-leading third time.

PAC-12 PAIR OF THE YEAR: Megan Kraft, Jr., (San Diego, Calif.) & Delaynie Maple, Jr., (San Diego, Calif.), USC

Kraft and Maple have been one of the top-ranked teams in the country with a 25-1 record on the No.1 court. The duo claimed both Pac-12 Pair of Week and AVCA National Pair of the Week honors this season (March 5), and delivered nine dual-clinching points. While the duo paired up for the first time as Trojans this year, they attended high school together and have been key parts of the USC lineup since joining the program, sporting 91-7 (Maple) and 88-6 (Kraft) career records as juniors. They are the sixth USC pair to win the Conference's Pair of the Year honor, including the second honor for Kraft (2021 with Tina Graudina).

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

Kraft, also Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2021, collects her first Player of the Year award and second Pair of the Year honor. Playing exclusively at the No.1 court, Kraft holds a 27-1 record on the season and a 88-6 all-time record as a Trojan. The now three-time First Team All-Conference awardee will seek to add a third AVCA All-America accolades this postseason.

PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Maggie Boyd, UCLA (Flower Mound, Texas)

Competing exclusively on the No. 1 and No. 2 courts, Boyd enjoyed an impressive debut season with a 23-6 overall individual record. The freshman teamed up with senior Lexy Denaburg to hold down the No. 1 court for the majority of the season, going 17-6 as the Bruins' top tandem. All totaled, the pair of Boyd and Denaburg completed the regular season with a 20-6 record and collected a Pac-12 Pair of the Week honor (March 14). Boyd is the third Freshman of the Year recipient from UCLA, joining last year's winner Jessie Smith and inaugural recipient Megan McNamara in 2016.

PAC-12 COACH OF THE YEAR: Stein Metzger, UCLA 

In his 11th year at the helm, Metzger earns his third Pac-12 Coach of the Year honor (2017, 2018, 2023), the only coach to earn the award more than once since its origin in 2016. After opening the preseason at No. 1, Metzger guided the Bruins back to the top of the AVCA poll in Week 8 before going on to their third Pac-12 Championship and the No. 1 overall seed for the 2023 NCAA Championship with the nation's most wins (37-3). He will now seek to lead UCLA to its third NCAA title (2018, 2019). 

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.

2023 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Postseason Honors

Pac-12 Pair of the Year: Megan Kraft and Delaynie Maple, USC
Pac-12 Player of the Year: Megan Kraft, USC
Pac-12 Freshman of the Year: Maggie Boyd, UCLA
Pac-12 Coach of the Year: Stein Metzger, UCLA

2023 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball All-Conference Teams

First Team

Second Team

All-Freshman Team