USC defeats top-ranked UCLA to capture its third consecutive beach volleyball title
USC players celebrate after defeating top-ranked UCLA for its third consecutive NCAA beach volleyball title.
Twins Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse of USC beat UCLA’s Haley Hallgren and Rileigh Powers 21-18, 19-21, 15-11 to give the Trojans a 3-2 NCAA beach volleyball title win over the top-ranked and No. 1 seed Bruins on Sunday. The win lifted USC to its third consecutive national championship.
Jenna Johnson and Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope of third-ranked and No. 3 seed USC (32-5) beat the Bruins’ Marlie Monserez and Jess Smith 22-20, 21-14 in Match 4, and in Match 2 Southern Cal’s Madison White and Madison Shields beat UCLA’s Abby Van Winkle and Peri Brennan 24-22, 23-21, 15-9 to give the Trojans a 2-0 lead.
Sierra Canyon High senior Bronny James commits to USC as he pursues a professional career playing alongside father LeBron James of the Lakers.
Lexy Denaburg and Maggie Boyd kept UCLA (40-3) alive with a 21-17, 21-13 win over Megan Kraft and Laynie Maple in Match 1 before Devon Newberry and Jaden Whitmarsh won Match 5 over USC’s Olivia Bakos and Gabby Walker, 21-18, 21-19, to pull the Bruins even at 2-2.
USC has won five of the seven beach volleyball championships, with the Bruins winning the other two (2018 and ’19).
Haley Hallgren, a national champion in beach volleyball at USC, had half of her left lung removed because of cancer in 2022 but now plays for No. 1 UCLA.
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