LOS ANGELES – The two-time defending national champion USC beach volleyball team will make its fall debut in a trio of exhibition dual matches at the Pepperdine Fall Tournament at Zuma Beach in Malibu, Calif., this Saturday, Oct. 15. The Women of Troy will take on two-time AVCA champion Pepperdine, crosstown-rival UCLA, and last year’s Pac-12 runner-up Arizona.
The Waves will host a total of six traditional duals in a round-robin format. During each dual, three additional non-counting matches will be played on other courts.
“Our team is very excited about this weekend’s tournament,” said head coach Anna Collier. “We get a great opportunity to see where we stand early on. It will be a great way to put a measuring stick to our own team and to also see how we stack up against other competition. These are some of the best teams in the nation. It’s going to be a lot of fun to be able to get on the beach; to play some competitive volleyball; and to do so in some hopefully great conditions.”
2016 PEPPERDINE FALL TOURNAMENT
09:00 a.m. – Arizona vs. Pepperdine
10:00 a.m. – UCLA vs. USC
11:00 a.m. – UCLA vs. Pepperdine
12:00 p.m. – USC vs. Arizona
01:00 p.m. – USC vs. Pepperdine
02:00 p.m. – Arizona vs. UCLA
This weekend’s field provides the Trojans with a group of strong opponents. Both Pepperdine and Arizona finished tied for fifth in the inaugural NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship. UCLA finished third. The Waves won the inaugural West Coast Conference title, while Arizona and UCLA finished second and third to USC in the first-ever Pac-12 championship tournament.
Last season, the top-ranked Women of Troy finished with a 34-2 overall record and secured the inaugural Pac-12 championship and the sport’s first-ever NCAA crown. The Trojans completed a 30-match winning streak and defeated Florida State, 3-0, in the first NCAA title match to cement themselves as the first-ever back-to-back collegiate beach volleyball national champions. Collier became the first collegiate head coach to reach the 100-win mark and is 108-17 in five seasons at Troy for an .864 winning percentage. Seniors Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes went undefeated with a 48-0 record and dropped just one set all season. They were each named AVCA All-Americans and won the first-ever Pac-12 Pairs championship.
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.
Courtesy of USC Athletics
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