Having won their fourth consecutive national title, USC’s beach volleyball team is back in the sand, ready to begin the trek to the NCAA Tournament. 

Since Head Coach Dain Blanton took the job five years ago, the Trojans have won four consecutive national championships since 2021. While this impressive record has been nothing short of legendary, Blanton is ready to start fresh for this upcoming season.

“We never said, ‘Hey, let’s go win four championships in a row,’” Blanton said, “You know, it was more like, ‘Hey, let’s win one, and then let’s reset. Let’s win another one’. You know, reset every time.”

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As the Trojans look forward to 2025, the team must reset once again, as this year has already been defined by many changes for USC’s beach volleyball program.

USC has found a new home in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, where the Trojans will face off against some of their old Pacific-12 competition, with the addition of the Grand Canyon University Antelopes. 

The Trojans have also seen the departure of many major leaders on the team. USC lost notable stars this past season, including Megan Kraft, Delaynie Maple, Nicole Nourse and Audrey Nourse. 

Only four players from the five pairs who played in the championship dual remain on the team. 2025 will be marked by fresh faces as the new roster is full of new talent ready to carry on USC’s historic beach volleyball legacy.

The team added five freshmen and six transfers this offseason. While the team has a fairly even mix of ages and grades, of the 21 players this season, no seniors are returning. 

Even with this new young roster, Blanton is not worried.

“[It] doesn’t really matter what year you are,” Blanton said. “The fact that you guys are playing on the same team, and you want to create familiarity and trust, and that’s when players really start to blossom and really play well.”

The Trojans will have their first chance to prove themselves at the upcoming Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic, which will be held in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

This competition will be a great opportunity for USC to play some tough opponents as they will face notable schools, including No. 2 ranked TCU and No. 3 UCLA, whom the Trojans beat to win the NCAA title this past year.

“I expect a dog fight over there,” Blanton said. “I think you got seven of the top 10 teams over there that are going to beat up each other and get some really great experience.”

Needless to say, all eyes will be on USC as they travel to the Aloha State. Expectations are already high as the Trojans are ranked No. 1 in the nation by the new American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. 

Many have labeled USC as a dynasty in the world of college beach volleyball, and while there may be “a bit of pressure” for those coming in, Blanton asks his players not to “listen to the noise.” Blanton is solely focused on the next season, the next game and the next championship.

“If people want to call the dynasty, that’s great,” Blanton said. “We just always want to win one more.”

The Trojans will hit the sand Thursday as they take on the University of Hawai’i at Queen’s Beach at 1 p.m.