Beach volleyball prepares for Pac-12 rivals


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USC player digs her feet in the sand preparing for a dig.
USC Beach Volleyball completed a weekend sweep at the East Meets West Invitational, giving them a 17-1 overall record on the year. (Louis Chen | Daily Trojan)

Following a dominant performance at Manhattan Beach last weekend, No. 2 USC beach volleyball will look to take out Pac-12 opponents as they head up to Stanford to compete in the Pac-12 North Invitational.

The Trojans are coming off a weekend where they swept their opponents, going 4-0 against ranked teams in the East Meets West Invitational. The Trojans kicked off the first day of the tournament with a 4-1 victory over No. 5 LSU, followed by a 3-2 win over No. 3 Florida State. The Trojans dropped only one point on day two, defeating No. 11 Georgia State 4-1 and completing a 5-0 sweep of Florida International.

“​​It was a huge test, and I think the girls played so well,” said Head Coach Dain Blanton. “It’s not as much about the wins as getting better every time we step on the court, because it’s a very fast season and I think everybody really focused in and made that slight improvement every time and executed. We’ve been really winning as a team.”

Now, the Trojans will look to continue this hot streak as they head up North, where they will face Arizona State, Oregon, Arizona and Utah, all for the first time this season. All four teams are unranked.

“We’re really excited, I think the Pac-12 is getting even stronger this year,” said junior Megan Kraft. Kraft is 13-1 this season on court one. “Last year we’d have maybe a match that you thought you would win for sure, but this year it’s go time, you need to go at every match.”

At 17-1, the Trojans boast the best overall record in the Pac-12 based on winning percentage at .944. The Trojans are undefeated this season against Pac-12 teams. USC hosted the Pac-12 South Invitational at the beginning of March, where they defeated then No. 12 UC Berkeley, then No. 7 Stanford, then No. 16 Washington and then No. 1 UCLA. The Trojans also defeated Stanford a second time during the Battle for Los Angeles tournament on March 12.

As the Trojans enter the tail end of the season, their schedule will only grow more intense. Following the Pac-12 North Invitational, USC will play seven matches over seven days. It begins with the Center of Effort Challenge in San Luis Obispo on April 14, followed by a senior day match against CSU Bakersfield on April 18 and a double-header against UCLA and Loyola Marymount on April 20.

“[We’re] just treating every match the same, nothing is bigger or more important than other ones, ​​and obviously taking care of every point once you’re in the game,” Kraft said. “Every team is different, but nothing changes with our training. Just keep pushing and don’t let up.”

With the Pac-12 championships less than a month away, the Trojans will only have one more opportunity to test themselves against a Pac-12 rival when they face No. 4 UCLA at Mapes Beach. They will also have very limited practice time to iron out any issues that remain in their play.

“We want to be executing more when we get the opportunities,” Blanton said. “As you play better teams you might get one or two opportunities, whereas if you don’t capitalize when you get that free ball coming over then it’s gonna cost you.”

USC will kick off the Pac-12 North Invitational April 7 against Arizona State. The match will start at noon at the Sand Hill Courts in Stanford.