Beach volleyball is set for home opener


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After an action-packed opening weekend that saw the USC beach volleyball team notch three wins over top-10 opponents, the No. 2-ranked Women of Troy (3-1) will open up their home slate Thursday at Merle Norman Stadium when they host Arizona State (2-2) at 6 p.m., followed by two matches on Friday against No. 4-ranked Florida State (4-0) at 11 a.m. and Loyola Marymount (1-2) at 12:30 p.m.

Following a heartbreaking 3-2 loss last weekend to Pepperdine in Malibu, fifth-year head coach Anna Collier knows that her team will need to make some adjustments during this home stand.

“It was one of those things that happen in sport where you end up playing at the level of your opponent, and I think that’s what happened to us a bit on Saturday,” Collier said. “We didn’t play our usual level of USC beach volleyball, so we need to stay within what we’re capable of doing regardless of what’s happening on the other side of the net.”

The match against Pepperdine would mark the first loss in nearly a year for USC, which had its program-best 29-match winning streak snapped. However, not all was lost on the weekend as the Women of Troy managed to pull out a sweep over crosstown rival UCLA, marking the fourth win in as many tries against the Bruins. While disappointed that the team couldn’t pull out a win against the Waves, junior captain Sophie Bukovec still found some positive takeaways.

“It was definitely tough losing against Pepperdine,” Bukovec said. “We were super close … but sweeping UCLA 5-0 is always really, really nice too. I think all of our team played really hard; we had a few comebacks, and it just showed our edge … I think it’s a really good start to our season.”

Now, the Women of Troy will gear up for their first home match of the year against Arizona State. The last meeting between USC and the Sun Devils was last April when the Women of Troy earned a 4-1 victory to clinch the 2015 Pac-12 Invitational title. USC also owns a perfect record against ASU at 3-0 all-time.

One duo that Collier hopes can defend home court against the Sun Devils is her No. 3 pair of juniors Nicolette Martin and Allie Wheeler.

“Nic and Allie were a team that went undefeated over the weekend,” Collier said. “They played solid, and they just took care of their jobs … They were really the leaders of the weekend and handled what they needed to do.”

Martin and Wheeler were rewarded for their efforts by the conference on Tuesday as well, making history as the first-ever Pac-12 Pair of the Week. The veterans went 4-0 in dual matches at the Pepperdine Kick-Off and clinched the victory for USC over No. 4 Long Beach State with an exciting three-set win. In total, Martin and Wheeler dropped just two of the 10 sets they played on the weekend.

The matches against Florida State and Loyola Marymount will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.

Collier acknowledges the fact that her team can make some big strides this week with a good showing on their home sand.

“We need to understand that everyone is going to be playing their best match against us, and I think [the team] learned that lesson this weekend,” Collier said. “We need to go back and reiterate that and just make sure we take care of our side of the court. We’re not where we want to be just yet, but we’re getting there.”