Skip to content

College Sports |
Nourse twins, USC defeat UCLA for NCAA beach…

60°F
Monday, May 22nd 2023

E-Edition

Trending:

Sports

College Sports

NewsNews Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

College Sports |
Nourse twins, USC defeat UCLA for NCAA beach volleyball title

Audrey and Nicole Nourse defeat Haley Hallgren and Rileigh Powers, 21-18, 19-21, 15-9, in the decisive match to give the Trojans a 3-2 victory and their fifth title in the seven years it has been an NCAA sport

The USC beach volleyball team defeated rival UCLA, 3-2, to win its third consecutive NCAA championship on Sunday in Gulf Shores, Alabama. It is USC’s fifth title in the seven years the sport has been sanctioned by the NCAA. (Photo courtesy of USC Athletics)
The USC beach volleyball team defeated rival UCLA, 3-2, to win its third consecutive NCAA championship on Sunday in Gulf Shores, Alabama. It is USC’s fifth title in the seven years the sport has been sanctioned by the NCAA. (Photo courtesy of USC Athletics)
By | |
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:

GULF SHORES, Ala. — The USC beach volleyball dynasty keeps rolling along.

Twins Audrey and Nicole Nourse of USC beat UCLA’s Haley Hallgren and Rileigh Powers, 21-18, 19-21, 15-9, to give the Trojans a 3-2 win over the top-ranked and No. 1 seed Bruins on Sunday to lift USC to its third consecutive NCAA beach volleyball championship.

Jenna Johnson and Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope of third-ranked and No. 3 seed USC (32-5) beat UCLA’s Marlie Monserez and Jess Smith, 22-20, 21-14, on Court 4 and USC’s Madison White and Madison Shields beat UCLA’s Abby Van Winkle and Peri Brennan, 24-22, 23-21, 15-9, on Court 2 to give the Trojans a 2-0 lead.

Lexy Denaburg and Maggie Boyd kept UCLA (40-3) alive with a 21-17, 21-13 win over Megan Kraft and Laynie Maple on Court 1 before Devon Newberry and Jaden Whitmarsh defeated USC’s Olivia Bakos and Gabby Walker, 21-18, 21-19, on Court 5 to pull the Bruins even at 2-2.

USC has won five of the seven beach volleyball championships sanctioned by the NCAA, with the Bruins winning the other two (2018 and ’19).

USC, which improved to 27-4 all-time in NCAA tournament duals, beat UCLA for the second time in five meetings this spring and snapped a three-dual losing streak to the Bruins to improve to 23-17 all-time against its crosstown rival.

The Nourse sisters, who starred at Orange Lutheran High, improved to 29-6 this season and earned their 91st career victory as a pair, the second-best total by a Trojans duo all-time (Nicolette Martin and Allie Wheeler, 2014-16).

Fourth-year USC head coach Dain Blanton has now won three championships as a head coach and owns six rings including the three he won as an assistant coach with the Trojans. He concludes his fourth season with a 105-15 career record.

Author

Staff and news service reports

More in College Sports