USC keeps the top spot of the NCAA Beach Rankings to begin the 2018 season after finishing on top in 2017 after winning their third straight National Championship. This season the rankings have been expanded to feature the top-20 teams in the nation as the sport continues to grow in the NCAA after being expanded to the top-15 last season.
The Trojans will be tough pressed to maintain their top-spot this season after losing their top pair of Kelly Claes/Sara Hughes but still have a strong lineup for the coming season. Pepperdine, UCLA, Florida State and Hawaii round out the top five. Pepperdine was close to claiming the national championship last season, losing 2-3 in the finals.
Grand Canyon moved into the top-10 at #10 from the #12 spot while Georgia State fell back to #11 from #12. Cal Poly moved into the top-15 of the rankings at #14 after not being ranked at the end of last season. Also, enter the poll are Stanford (#17), Tulane (#18), Washington (#19) and Loyola Marymount (#20).
The start of the beach volleyball season is just 10 days away with the teams beginning a full onslaught of matches that will take place until the national championships that will take place in Gulf Shores, Alabama from May 4-6. This year’s championships are set to be televised on ESPN per a contract agreement for the next five seasons.
| RANK | SCHOOL | 2017 RECORD | 2017 FINAL RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern California | 38-1 | 1 |
| 2 | Pepperdine | 27-5 | 2 |
| 3 | UCLA | 30-6 | 5 |
| 4 | Florida State | 29-9 | 4 |
| 5 | Hawai’i | 29-7 | 3 |
| 6 | LSU | 27-8 | 6 |
| 7 | Long Beach State | 26-10 | 7 |
| 8 | South Carolina | 23-11 | 8 |
| 9 | Arizona | 17-10 | 9 |
| 10 | Grand Canyon | 17-9 | 12 |
| 11 | Florida International | 24-15 | 10 |
| 12 | Georgia State | 21-14 | 11 |
| 13 | TCU | 18-8 | 13 |
| 14 | Cal Poly | 15-23 | NR |
| 15 | Stetson | 20-13 | 15 |
| 16 | Florida Atlantic | 21-12 | 14 |
| 17 | Stanford | 13-10 | NR |
| 18 | Tulane | 24-13 | NR |
| 19 | Washington | 11-7 | NR |
| 20 | Loyola Marymount | 15-14 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Arizona State, California, Saint Mary’s, New Mexico, Nebraska, Florida Gulf Coast, UAB, Utah, UNC-Wilmington, Central Arkansas, North Florida, Oregon
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