The No. 1-ranked USC beach volleyball team (7-0) started the 2017 Outrigger Hawai’i Invitational with a 5-0 sweep of Nebraska (1-3) on Queen’s Beach on Friday, March 17. The Women of Troy also defeated the Cornhuskers yesterday in a non-tournament match by the same score. The Trojans’ win extends their winning streak to 37 consecutive dual victories.
The bottom three courts finished in reverse order to seal USC’s win. At the No. 5 position, juniors Jenna Belton and Jo Kremer defeated Brooke Smith and Sydney Townsend, 21-11, 21-17, to get the Trojans started. One court over, sophomore Abril Bustamante and freshman Joy Dennis took down Mikaela Foecke and Kenzie Maloney, 21-14, 21-11, to put up the second point of the dual.
The clinching point came from court three where junior Terese Cannon and senior Nicolette Martin completed a 21-17, 21-19 win against Kelly Hunter and Lauren Stivrins. With the match in hand, seniors Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes delivered a fourth point on their 21-15, 22-20 win against Andie Malloy and Justine Wong-Orantes at the top court. It was the 80th consecutive win for Claes and Hughes and is their 99th as a collegiate pair.
The fifth and final point of the dual came from court two, in the only match to go three sets. Seniors Sophie Bukovec and Allie Wheeler dropped the first frame, 21-13, to Annika Albrecht and Olivia Boender, but came back to win the second, 21-14. In the third, the two pairs went back and forth, but the Trojans broke away for a 15-11 win in the end.
USC plays a second match in the invitational this afternoon at 3:15 p.m. HT (6:15 p.m. PT). The Trojans will face Utah–the newest Pac-12 beach volleyball squad–for the first time. USC will play three matches on the final day of the tournament (Saturday, March 18).
For more information on the two-time national champion USC beach volleyball team and a complete schedule, please visit USCTrojans.com and follow @USCBeach on Facebook, Twitter, Periscope, Instagram, and Snapchat.
No. 1 USC def. Nebraska, 5-0
2017 Outrigger Hawai’i Invitational
Queen’s Beach | Honolulu, Hawai’i
Friday, March 17, 2017
Records: USC (7-0), Nebraska (1-3)
1. Kelly Claes/Sara Hughes (USC) def. Andie Malloy/Justine Wong-Orantes (NEB); 21-15, 22-20
2. Sophie Bukovec/Allie Wheeler (USC) def. Annika Albrecht/Olivia Boender (NEB); 13-21, 21-14, 15-11
3. Terese Cannon/Nicolette Martin (USC) def. Kelly Hunter/Lauren Stivrins (NEB); 21-17, 21-19
4. Abril Bustamante/Joy Dennis (USC) def. Mikaela Foecke/Kenzie Maloney (NEB); 21-14, 21-11
5. Jenna Belton/Jo Kremer (USC) def. Brooke Smith/Sydney Townsend (NEB); 21-11, 21-17
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3*, 1, 2
News courtesy of USC Athletics.
Leave a Reply