After a dominant season and helping their team to a third straight national title, USC’s Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes have earned the VolleyMob Beach Pair of the Year honor.
The pair went an impressive 48-1 this season, with their only loss coming mid-season to St. Mary’s Lindsey Knudsen and Payton Rund, which snapped a 103 match winning streak that extended over two years. The duo was instrumental in the advancement of USC throughout the season and into the NCAA Tournament, where they helped lead the Trojans to their third consecutive national title (one AVCA and two NCAA).
In addition, the pair has earned a number of honors throughout the season for their excellent play – Pac-12 Beach Pair of the Year (second consecutive year earning the award), All-Conference First Team, Pac-12 Pair of the Week (twice) and Claes was named the Pac-12 Player of the year (second consecutive year earning the award).
The duo has been selected to compete at the 2017 USAV Collegiate Beach Championships, where they earned the #1 overall seed in the tournament. At the competition, they are playing for a spot on the USAV Collegiate beach national team if they win.
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