Beach volleyball prepares for battle
No. 3 USC beach volleyball returns to the courts this coming weekend, heading south to participate in the East Meets West Invitational tournament in Manhattan Beach.
The Trojans last saw action March 18 during the Surf & Turf Invitational in Miami Beach. The Trojans went 3-1 that weekend, picking up wins over No. 15 Florida Atlantic, No. 14 Florida International and North Florida while suffering their first loss of the season in a 1-4 loss to No. 1 TCU. Freshman Gabby Walker and junior Delaynie Maple scored the Trojans’ lone point during the loss on court three.
“They played a really great game, so I’m proud of the way that we all fought,” Maple said about the loss. “People were able to take things that they might not have known that they need to work on, and we’ve made a ton of improvement this past week on that. So …we’ve only really taken it as a positive.”
The Trojans’ work in practice came during a rare break in their schedule that granted them a weekend without competition, a break they are committed to taking advantage of. Moving forward, the Trojans will compete every weekend through the rest of the season.
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Junior partners Delaynie Maple (left) and Megan Kraft (right) are undefeated on court one this season, having won their last nine staright duels dropping just one set in the process. (Bryce Dechert | Daily Trojan)
“It was nice to have a week off because you kind of regroup a little bit, take care of the body and mentally shut it down for a little bit and recharge,” said Head Coach Dain Blanton. “We only have about a month until Pac-12 championships, so we’re in a really good spot and we’re trying to get the most improvement as we can every day.”
On top of an extra week of rest, the Trojans will benefit from the return of junior Megan Kraft, the other half of the star court one pairing that, along with Maple, has yet to drop a point this season.
Now, the Trojans are geared up and eager to return to the sand and play their aggressive style of volleyball as they prepare to face top teams this weekend. The Trojans will take on No. 5 LSU, No. 4 Florida State and No. 11 Georgia State for the first time, as well as a rematch with No. 16 Florida International.
“Every match is a battle, and we’ve got to play well. We’ve got to work as a team and we’ve got to make sure that everyone’s focused on their job so that they take care of their court,” Blanton said. “We’ve got to come to play every time. You respect your opponent and you do that by throwing your best punch every time.”
This tournament poses a unique challenge to the Trojans as they prepare to take on some East Coast schools they don’t often get to play.
“A lot of the East Coast schools, or just not-California schools, do play a different type of volleyball,” Maple said. “Just trying not to get too caught up in that, and just remembering what we do and what we do best and just playing as a team [is key], but I’m really excited to see the way that we all compete after having two weeks of just being able to train.”
As the season moves forward, USC is keenly aware that every day is an important step that brings them closer to their goal of a repeat Pac-12 title and a three-peat NCAA championship title. In the history of NCAA beach volleyball, one school has never won three straight championships.
“[We are] just focusing on each day and not getting too caught up on May 8, knowing that we’ll get there when we get there,” Maple said. “We have a lot of improvements to make, which I think we have been making, and I’m really proud of everybody on the team. Everybody’s been going all in so it’s been awesome.”
The Trojans’ first match will kick off at 9:30 a.m. Friday against LSU at Manhattan Beach Pier.