No. 1 USC Beach Volleyball Primed for Four on Pompano Beach Sand

LOS ANGELES – The No. 1-ranked USC beach volleyball team (12-2) heads to the Sunshine State this week for the FAU Beach Invitational hosted by Florida Atlantic at the Pompano Beach Pier in Pompano Beach, Fla. The Women of Troy ride an eight-dual win streak into a four-match weekend in South Florida where they will take on Palm Beach Atlantic (9-6) for the first time and then meet 16th-ranked host FAU (9-4) on Friday (March 15). On Saturday (March 16), USC will tackle No. 12 Florida International (11-2) and No. 5 TCU (11-1) in back-to-back duals to close out spring break on the East Coast.

THIS WEEK
FAU BEACH INVITATIONAL
Pompano Beach Pier • Pompano Beach, Fla.

MATCH #15 • Friday, Mar. 15 • 9:30 a.m. ET/6:30 a.m. PT
No. 1 USC (12-2) vs. Palm Beach Atlantic (9-6)
SERIES HISTORY: First meeting
STREAK: First meeting • LAST 10: N/A
LAST MEETING: First meeting
OPPONENT WEBSITE: http ://www.PBASailfish.com

MATCH #16 • Friday, Mar. 15 • 11:10 a.m. ET/8:10 a.m. PT
No. 1 USC (12-2) at No. 16 Florida Atlantic (9-4)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 5-0 (1.000)
STREAK: Won 5 • LAST 10: 5-0
LAST MEETING: W 3-2 (Mar. 17, 2023 • Miami, Fla.)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: FAUSports.com

MATCH #17 • Saturday, Mar. 16 • 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT
No. 1 USC (12-2) vs. No. 12 Florida International (11-2)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 10-0 (1.000)
STREAK: Won 10 • LAST 10: 10-0
LAST MEETING: W 5-0 (April 1, 2023 • Manhattan Beach)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: FIUSports.com

MATCH #18 • Saturday, Mar. 16 • 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT
No. 1 USC (12-2) vs. No. 5 TCU (11-1)
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 6-1 (.857)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10: 6-1
LAST MEETING: W 3-2 (May 6, 2023 • Gulf Shores, Ala.)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoFrogs.com

BARE E-SAND-SHELLS • TL;DR

USC has won the last three NCAA championships and owns six national titles including the first NCAA crown in 2016 (AVCA '15, NCAA '17, '21, '22, '23).
The Trojans have won four Pac-12 championships (2016, '17, '19, '22).
USC is 117-17 (.873) under fifth-year head coach Dain Blanton.
The Trojans are ranked No. 1 in the AVCA (No. 1, CBVB). It is the 104th time (of 104) USC is ranked by the AVCA; its 103rd time among the top 5. The Trojans have also held the No. 1 spot a record 44 times.
The Women of Troy are 138-16 when ranked No. 1 in the AVCA poll.
USC is 19-2 in the Sunshine State; 13-1 in the greater Miami/Fort Lauderdale area. The losses were to Florida State (2012) and TCU (2023).
Twin graduates Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse rank second among pairs in school history with 101 total wins. The sisters have played 120 matches together, which also ranks second in program history. Their 100+ wins in dual matches are the most by any USC pair in school history.
The Trojans' senior All-Americans Megan Kraft and Delaynie Maple are 41-4 all-time and have lost a total of only 10 sets in their 45 matches together.
USC has celebrated 15 AVCA All-Americans (30 certificates).

LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy trekked into the desert for four duals at the Pac-12 South Invitational and extended to a season-long eight-dual win streak without dropping a single individual match. USC earned four 5-0 sweeps over Utah, 14th-ranked Washington, 19th-ranked Arizona, and Oregon, to up its all-time record in 5-0 matches to 146-2. The Trojans also improved to 36-1 all-time in the state of Arizona and maintained an unblemished record against the Utes, Huskies, Wildcats, and Ducks at 40-0. During the course of the weekend, Audrey Nourse and Megan Kraft became the 14th and 15th Trojans to cross the 100-win plateau. Audrey also teamed with her twin sister Nicole Nourse to reach 100 wins as a pair. The twins' career total eclipsed the 99-win mark in dual competition set by All-Americans Kelly Claes (Cheng) and Sara Hughes. Claes-Hughes also went 48-0 in tournament matches to finish with a program-record 147-4 mark.

ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS: In a 5-0 sweep of Concordia (March 1), Delaynie Maple and Nicole Nourse each collected their 100th-career victories to move into 12th and 13th respectively in the Trojans' all-time records. One week later, in a 5-0 win over Utah, Audrey Nourse and Megan Kraft each reached100-career wins to become the 14th and 15th Trojans to join the century club. Previously, the last two Women of Troy to reach the 100-win club were All-Americans Tina Graudina (122 wins) and Sammy Slater (118 wins), both in 2022.

A LITTLE BIT OF SUNSHINE: The Trojans are 19-2 all-time in the Sunshine State. USC makes a trip to the state of Florida for the third consecutive year (2022-24) and previously played in the state in 2012, 2016, and 2019. The Trojans are 13-1 in the greater Miami and Fort Lauderdale area. USC's two losses in the Sunshine State came against Florida State (2012) and TCU (2023).

DOUBLE CLUTCH: USC's twin-sister duo of Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse has won 101 matches. The twins are 101-19 all-time and are 20-3 when their match has clinched the outcome of a dual. More specifically, when the score is tied, 2-2, and the twins are playing to decide the victor, Audrey and Nicole are 3-2, which includes a big three-set win in the final match of the 2023 NCAA Championship dual to give USC its third consecutive national championship. The twins' 101 wins in dual matches is the most by a USC pair. Including wins collected in pairs' tournaments, All-Americans Kelly Claes (Cheng) and Sara Hughes hold the school record with a 147-4 mark in their career at Troy but were 99-4 in dual competitions (48-0 in tournaments).

THE CHAMP IS HERE: USC is the three-time defending NCAA champion ('21, '22, '23). The Trojans captured the program's fifth NCAA title and sixth national crown in 2023. USC won the final AVCA championship in 2015 and owns the first two NCAA titles (2016, '17). The Women of Troy have also claimed four of the seven Pac-12 championships (2016, '17, '19, '22).

POLL POSITION: USC opened the 2024 season ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Collegiate Beach preseason poll. The Women of Troy have been ranked in every AVCA poll for a total of 104 weeks. USC has also been ranked in the top five of the poll 103 times. The Trojans held that top-five distinction for 63 consecutive weeks from its inception until March 2, 2020. USC first seized the No. 1 ranking in both the AVCA and Volleyball Magazine polls on March 23, 2015, following a victory over then No. 1-ranked Hawai'i on the road and held the ranking for the rest of 2015. USC has been ranked No. 1 in 44 AVCA polls, the most all-time. The Trojans, Pepperdine, Hawai'i, UCLA, LSU, Florida State, and TCU are the only seven teams ever to hold the top spot in the poll. USC is 138-16 all-time when ranked No. 1.

Players Mentioned

Megan Kraft

Delaynie Maple

Audrey Nourse

Nicole Nourse