NCAA Seaside
March 19, 2024
Perennial energy USC loved a fruitful journey to Florida as rival UCLA led the West’s cost over the East on fabled Manhattan Seaside. Our NCAA seashore volleyball report additionally recaps the remainder of a busy week and units the stage for an upcoming weekend chock-full of midseason convention tournaments.
Champs sizzle in Sunshine State
The coaching wheels are off and the intense pedaling on a four-peat has begun for Coach Dain Blanton’s USC juggernaut.
Behind the dominating high pair of Megan Kraft and Delaynie Maple, and a portal-fueled peloton of road-tested veterans, the Girls of Troy seemingly hit one other gear this previous weekend in the course of the two-day FAU Invitational on the wind-blown shores of the Atlantic in Pompano Seaside, Florida.
The three-time defending nationwide champions notched a convincing 4-1 victory over No. 5 TCU in a rematch of the 2023 NCAA single-elimination semifinal. Within the spotlight match of the weekend nationwide, Kraft and Maple handed the Horned Frogs’ Hailey Hamlett and Anhelina Khmil their first lack of the season by an air-tight 21-19, 18-21, 15-13 margin.
Ranked No. 1 within the AVCA coaches ballot and winners of 12 in a row, the Girls of Troy additionally blistered formidable foes conversant in Pompano’s white coral sand – No. 12 Florida Worldwide (14-3) and No. 16 Florida Atlantic (10-7) – with out dropping a match.
Within the opening twin of the weekend in opposition to Division-II Palm Seaside Atlantic, Blanton gave courtroom time to reserves Delaney Karl and Grace Hong on the 5s, USC’s lone dropped match.
Senior All-Individuals Kraft and Maple (17-1 in 2024) additionally took a 21-15, 21-16 victory over FIU’s beforehand undefeated Giada Bianchi and Reka Orsi Toth, who had been named the AVCA nationwide pair of the week for the earlier weekend. A 4-0 document earned Kraft and Maple the AVCA’s recognition as nationwide pair of the week.
“There may be a lot parity on the high, so for these No. 1 groups, there’s so little room for error,” Blanton informed us. “Megan and Delaynie are extraordinarily constant. They know methods to win. They know to shift into that subsequent gear within the clutch and that’s onerous to show.”
USC is 16-2, with the one flawed turns coming in the course of the season’s opening week in Hawai’i in opposition to Stanford in pool play and to UCLA within the title twin of the championship bracket.
“That first weekend in Hawai’i, I wasn’t overly involved about which means it went,” Blanton stated. “I simply needed to get a barometer of the place we had been at on our facet of the online, which is most necessary. Now we’ve locked it down and we’ve actually performed strong
“However we performed strong that weekend, too, in opposition to glorious groups. I like that type of competitors.
“I don’t like taking part in throwaway video games. I need to play high groups as a lot as I can, as many occasions as I can, as a result of the workforce that improves essentially the most in the course of the season is more than likely to win the championship. Nonetheless an extended strategy to go, however we undoubtedly have the personnel.”
On the 2s are grad-student twins Nicole (108-20 throughout her USC profession) and Audrey (105-20) Nourse. Grad transfers Grace Seits (Stanford) and Maddi Kriz (LSU) are 13-1 on the 3s. Ainsley Radell, a grad switch from California, has received eight of her final 9 matches on the 5s whereas paired with sophomore Mabyn Thomas or freshman Ashley Pater.
Youthful gamers have exceled, too. Sophomore Madison White is 16-2 general taking part in on the 4s and 3s, and most not too long ago has received her final 5 on Courtroom 4 with Pater, who in the summertime 2023 performed in the primary attracts of 5 skilled AVP occasions.
“The Nourse twins are competing on the highest spot they’ve ever performed,” Blanton famous. “We’ll settle them in, and so they’re taking part in actually good elite volleyball. Maddie Kriz and Grace Seits have been phenomenal. They’ve nice expertise and have developed great chemistry.
“Ainsley, who was on the 2s final 12 months for Cal, has been spectacular on the 5s. Maddie White, who performed the 2s for us final 12 months, athletically, she will be able to go together with anyone within the nation. She’s a bodily specimen and as her recreation will get extra regular, she’s going to be unstoppable.”
In the meantime, TCU (14-2, with its solely losses coming to USC and Stanford) held serve of their different three South Florida duals. The Horned Frogs edged host Florida Atlantic 3-2, and took 4-1 victories over Florida Gulf Coast and Palm Seaside Atlantic (9-10), prompting Coach Hector Gutierrez to inform VBM, “The weekend general went properly.”
He added that the showdown “versus USC was intense and performed at a really excessive degree – a type of video games that I may go both means since each groups performed their finest. We needed to battle the Florida groups within the wind, which is all the time onerous, however that’s why we got here to play in opposition to them below these situations. We’ll face one thing comparable at Gulf Shores (web site of the NCAA event) so it was an excellent take a look at for the workforce.”
TCU dodged one damage scare when Arizona switch Alex Parkhouse had a knee challenge that brought on her workforce to forfeit in opposition to Palm Seaside Atlantic. However Parkhouse returned to play in opposition to USC and picked up the Horned Frogs’ solely level, pairing with Sutton MacTavish to brush the Nourses. Nevertheless, sophomore Kaitlyn Bradley’s standing is unsure after she broke her left hand,
Aside from getting whitewashed by USC, Florida Worldwide put in robust work, topping Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast and Division-II Palm Seaside Atlantic. The host Owls picked a victory over Palm Seaside Atlantic, but in addition fell to the Girls of Troy and TCU, the latter by a 3-2 rely. FGCU (9-9) misplaced twice.
Clear benefit, West
Eight of the High 20 gathered for the East Meets West Invitational on iconic Manhattan Seaside, the place the West groups went 10-4 over two days. No. 2 UCLA (15-4) keyed that consequence, rolling over all 4 of its opponents whereas profitable 18 of 20 matches.
The Bruins’ high pair of Lexy Denaburg and Maggie Boyd (15-4) set the tone with 4 sweeps by a 168-117 margin, getting their closest tussle from FSU’s Maddie Anderson and Skyler Germann 21-18, 21-14. Junior Natalie Myszkowski and sophomore Ensley Alden had been 4-0 on the 5s and have been 16-1 anchors for the Bruins all season.
The East squads that the majority wanted to make statements – No. 4 Florida State (15-2) and No. 8 LSU (10-3) – every went 2-2.
LSU took the most effective “W” with a gentle 3-2 upset of No. 6 Cal (12-4) in a twin during which three of the matches wanted three units, and in addition topped No. 10 Loyola Marymount (9-8) 3-2. However the Bayou Bengals dropped a 4-1 determination to No. 13 Hawai’i (8-7), with 4 of the matches going to a tiebreaking set, and misplaced 4-1 to UCLA.
“We got here into this weekend understanding that if we performed our greatest throughout the board, we might win 4 matches,” LSU coach Russell Brock stated. “Nevertheless, even with these expectations, heading again 2-2 isn’t thought of a nasty weekend. It may have been higher, however the wins we earned had been illustration of our capacity.”
Florida State dealt with Loyola Marymount 3-2, profitable on the decrease three courts, and Hawai’i 4-1, however the Seminoles dropped their duals in opposition to UCLA and Cal by 4-1 scores. That displaying doesn’t determine to assist FSU’s standing within the weekly ballot or its seeding when the NCAA Seaside Championships roll across the first week of Might.
The lower-ranked East groups – No. 15 Georgia State (0-4) and No. 17 Grand Canyon (4-8) – completed a mixed 0-6. GCU solely performed on the primary day however noticed its shedding streak develop to eight with defeats to UCLA and LMU, which break up its 4 duals. The Lions’ Anna Pelloia and Jacinda Ramirez had been 4-0 on the 2s and 3s, and for the second time this season had been honored because the West Coast Convention pair of the week.
Cal and Hawai’i every had been 2-1 in crossover duals and the Golden Bears topped the Rainbow Wahine 3-2. Taking down FSU was a noteworthy bullet level on Cal’s resume. Its 5s workforce of junior Ella Dreibholz and sophomore Portia Sherman went 4-0 on the weekend and improved to 14-2 general competing on Courts 4 and 5.
Across the nation
Seventh-ranked Lengthy Seaside State (14-2) ran its profitable streak to 11 with a 4-0 weekend in its competitors at Lengthy Seaside Metropolis Faculty, highlighted by a 3-2 victory over No. 11 Arizona State. The clinching level wasn’t scored till the ultimate match, a three-set nailbiter on the 1s received by Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah over Daniella Kensinger and Anya Pemberton (15-11 within the tiebreaker). The Seaside, whose solely losses have been to USC and UCLA, rolled over Texas, Nebraska and Cal State Northridge by 5-0 tallies. Gementara and Hagenah earned the pair-of-the-week award from the Large West Convention.
The Solar Devils (11-3) bounced again with victories over CSUN, Pepperdine (7-7) and Texas, with the Longhorns pushing them to a 3-2 rating within the second-year program’s first aggressive occasion below Coach Stein Metzger.
The consequence that followers within the Lone Star State and Nebraska had been desperate to study: Texas (1-3) nipped the rival Cornhuskers 3-2, with the 4s pair of Kelly McCloskey and Macey Butler clinching it with a sweep over Laney Choboy and freshman Skyler Pierce, 22-20 within the second set. Nebraska’s workforce, dominated by big-name indoor crossovers, concluded its season with a 16-10 document, the most effective in program historical past.
No. 9 Cal Poly (14-2) added 4 wins to its whole on house sand in San Luis Obispo. The resurgent Mustangs galloped over UC Davis, Santa Clara, Pacific and North Florida, with solely the guests from the Sunshine State taking a match. UC Davis (8-7) fell solely to the hosts in 4 duals. North Florida (11-7) went 2-2.
The topsy-turvy Sugar Seaside Bash in Louisiana produced a 3-1 document for South Carolina (10-6), which dropped a 3-2 determination to Tulane (13-4) and defeated Boise State 4-1, Alabama-Birmingham 3-2 and Southeastern Louisiana 4-1. The Inexperienced Wave additionally received three out of 4, the blemish being a 3-2 loss to Boise State. The Broncos (14-7) had been 3-1, together with a 4-1 victory over No. 20 Tampa (9-9). The Spartans broke even in 4 duals, additionally shedding to UAB, however taking victories over Houston Christian and New Orleans. UAB (10-6) was 3-1. Southern Mississippi (6-10) checked in at 2-2.
No. 18 Stetson (11-5) received all 4 duals in its hometown Spring Fling and has this weekend off. … Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (13-4) obtained what it wanted throughout a swing by way of Northern California, avoiding a sweep in a 4-1 setback to host No. 3 Stanford (12-2) and beating North Florida 3-2, Utah 5-0 and host San Jose State 4-1 (in a Southland Convention assembly).
This week’s schedule
Two weekends out from the colossal Loss of life Volley Invitational in Baton Rouge, the season’s most necessary competitors other than the NCAA Championship, this week’s slate options noteworthy occasions in Tallahassee, Fort Price, Central California, Southern California and New Orleans.
LSU’s seashore extravaganza on March 29 and 30 will embody UCLA, USC, Stanford, California, Florida State, TCU and Florida Atlantic, a who’s who of energy packages that challenge as robust contenders for NCAA bids. The Loss of life Volley invite can be streamed on Volleyball World’s standard VBTV platform.
However first, host FSU and LSU are the marquee names within the Midseason CCSA Event in Tallahassee on Saturday and Sunday. The lineup additionally has Grand Canyon, South Carolina and Atlantic Solar Convention invitee Jacksonville. The four-member CCSA was profitable in its petition to waive the six-team requirement for an automated bid and the winner of the convention event (April 25-27 in Huntsville, Alabama) is assured a spot within the 17-team NCAA bracket.
TCU’s Struggle within the Fort on Friday and Saturday in Texas will generate quite a few significant matchups among the many Horned Frogs, Arizona State, Florida Worldwide, Washington and Florida Gulf Coast.
Sacramento and Davis in California would be the websites for the seven-team Large West Problem, performed over three days on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Sacramento State’s on-campus Hornet Seaside courts and at UC Davis’ venue. The Large West may land three groups within the NCAAs, so these outcomes are vital. Lengthy Seaside State, Cal Poly, Hawai’i, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Bakersfield and the host colleges comprise the sector within the sprawling round-robin.
Loyola Marymount enjoys a respite from a gantlet of extremely ranked opposition within the Pacific Coast Freeway Open on Saturday and Sunday on its campus courts. Pepperdine and Tulane can be joined by robust Division-II packages Concordia-Irvine and Colorado Mesa. Pepperdine additionally will play host to PCH Open duals on Friday in Malibu.
Within the Large Straightforward is the Southland Mid-Convention Event on Friday and Saturday at New Orleans’ Privateer Seaside. Texas A&M Corpus Christi by no means has misplaced a regular-season Southland match. Looking for to alter which might be Boise State, Houston Christian, Southeastern Louisiana, Nicholls State, McNeese State and the host Privateers.
The eight-team Solar Belt Convention Midseason Event can be held at a impartial web site in Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday and Saturday. Georgia State will look to regroup after the East Meets West, becoming a member of Coastal Carolina, North Carolina-Wilmington, Southern Mississippi, Mercer, Louisiana-Monroe, Stephen F. Austin and Faculty of Charleston.
The Arizona Invitational in Tucson on Friday and Saturday will see the No.19 Wildcats (10-3) entertain Santa Clara, Missouri State, Utah, Texas-El Paso and NAIA member Arizona Christian.
The six groups of the Ohio Valley Convention converge Friday and Saturday in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the OVC Weekend: Tennessee-Martin, Lindenwood, Morehead State, Tennessee Tech, Jap Illinois and the host Chattanooga Mocs.
Tampa tops the lineup within the Palm Seaside Atlantic Invitational on Friday and Saturday, together with the host Sailfish, Tusculum, Spring Hill, Eckerd and Barry.
Additionally, USC has the weekend off however will maintain a tri-dual on Tuesday at Merle Norman Stadium with Hawai’i and Concordia-Irvine. … UCLA, Stanford and California additionally don’t play this weekend. … Florida Gulf Coast welcomes Florida Atlantic and Palm Seaside Atlantic for a tri-dual on Wednesday in Fort Myers.
Images by Will Chu and Mark Rigney on Manhattan Seaside and Stephen Burns in Florida.