Based on the short history of the NCAA sport, the 2023 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championships should come down to two Southern California schools, with two other local teams hoping to play spoiler.
UCLA is the No. 1 seed going into the newly formatted 16-team, single-elimination tournament, in which third-seeded USC hopes for a three-peat in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
The Trojans have claimed four NCAA championships, winning the first two in 2016 and 2017 and the last two in 2021 and 2022. The Bruins are the only other team to take home the titles, doing so in 2018 and 2019 before COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 season.
Sixth-seeded Loyola Marymount and ninth-seeded Long Beach State will also kick off play Friday at Gulf Shores Public Beach.
Here’s a look at the four local teams:
NO. 1 UCLA
Record: 37-3
First opponent: No. 17 Texas A&M Corpus Christi (25-9)
Info: The Bruins won the Pac-12 title to claim the top seed, but it wasn’t easy. They found themselves in the contender’s bracket after a 3-2 loss to No. 8 Stanford, then rallied with consecutive 3-0 sweeps of Top 10 teams (No. 3 USC, the Cardinal and No. 9 Cal). Guided by Pac-12 Coach of the Year Stein Metzger, UCLA is led by All-American first-teamers Lexy Denaburg and Maggie Boyd and second-teamers Abby Van Winkle and Peri Brennan.
How to watch: 7 a.m. PT, ESPNU/ESPN+
NO. 3 USC
Record: 28-5
First opponent: No. 14 Georgia State (20-16)
Info: Fourth-year coach Dain Blanton, coming off back-to-back national titles, brings the Trojans back for more. Juniors Megan Kraft, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, and Delaynie Maple were named to the All-America first team. The Pac-12 Pair of the Year are 25-1 this season and have won 15 consecutive matches.
How to watch: 1 p.m. PT, ESPNU/ESPN+
NO. 6 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
Record: 28-8
First opponent: No. 11 Hawai’i (27-8)
Info: Coach John Mayer’s four-time West Coast Conference champs look to improve on their third- and fourth-place finishes the past two seasons. Melanie Paul and Vilhelmiina Prihti gave the Lions their third consecutive top pairing named to the All-America first team. LMU matched up against Hawai’i in last year’s opening round and advanced via a 3-0 score.
How to watch: 2 p.m. PT, ESPNU/ESPN+
NO. 9 LONG BEACH STATE
Record: 24-14
First opponent: No. 8 Cal (28-9)
Info: LBSU is making its second appearance in the NCAA Championships after winning its first Big West Conference title. Mike Campbell was named Big West Coach of the Year for the first time in nine seasons. Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah were named Co-Freshman of the Year after the first-year pair finished with a program-record 33 victories.
How to watch: 8 a.m. PT, ESPNU/ESPN+
Other first-round matches on Friday: No. 4 Florida State (30-8) vs. No. 13 Florida International (20-16), 9 a.m.; No. 5 LSU (26-12) vs. No. 12 Florida Atlantic (19-13), 10 a.m.; No. 2 TCU (35-2) vs. No. 15 Stetson (22-14), 11 a.m.; No. 7 Grand Canyon (26-7) vs. No. 10 Stanford (28-12), noon.
The quarterfinals (7, 8, 9 and 10 a.m.) and semifinals (11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., ESPN2) are Saturday. The championship match is at 9 a.m. Sunday on ESPN.
