UCLA Beach Volleyball Faces Southern Cal For National Title
The Bruins are looking to bring home NC #123 and the second title in two days.
It’s déjà vu all over again.
Last year, after the UCLA men’s volleyball team won the school’s 121st NCAA title, the UCLA beach volleyball team faced the hated Trojans for the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship. Unfortunately, the Bruins weren’t able to get past their crosstown rivals and UCLA failed to capture NC #122.
Well, yesterday, the men’s volleyball team captured 122, and now the UCLA beach volleyball team is looking to make it 123 this morning when they take on the Trojans with the national championship on the line again.
At the very least, it is beginning to feel like these two teams should always play for the national championship each year.
Last Time Out
Yesterday, after quickly dispatching the UC Berkeley Golden Bears, 3-0, the Bruins faced the #11 seed LSU Tigers in the second national semifinal match.
The Bruins’ #4 pair of Jaden Whitmarsh and Tessa Van Winkle got UCLA started by quickly defeating LSU’s Skylar Martin and Amber Haynes, 21-9, 21-11, for the first point of the dual.
LSU’s Parker Bracken and Reilly Allred tied the dual up at a point apiece by topping UCLA’s Devon Newberry and Peri Brennan on Court #2, 23-21, 21-18.
But the Bruins, who had won 18 of the 20 meetings between these teams, weren’t about to lose this one.
Lexy Denaburg and Maggie Boyd broke the tie by beating the Tigers’ Gabi Bailey and Ellie Shank on Court #1, 21-19, 21-14.
UCLA’s Court #3 pair of redshirt freshman Kenzie Brower and junior Jessie Smith proved to be too much for LSU’s Ella Larkin and Aubrey O'Gorman as the Bruins took both sets, 21-19, 21-19, to clinch their third point of the dual, sending UCLA to another showdown with the Trojans for the national championship.
That ended the Court #5 matchup between UCLA’s Natalie Myszkowski and Ensley Alden and LSU’s Emily Meyer/Yali Ashush. There, the Bruins dropped the first set to teh Tigers, 23-25, but were ahead in the second, 11-10, when play was stopped by the UCLA victory.
Southern Cal Trojans
Southern Cal has won the last two NCAA Beach Volleyball titles and they are looking to three-peat this morning. They haven’t lost a national championship dual since 2019 when the Bruins swept them.
The defending champion Trojans advanced to today’s title match by sweeping LMU and Cal Poly, 3-0 each, yesterday.
The Rivalry
The beach volleyball rivalry between the Trojans and the Bruins is quickly becoming one of the toughest between the schools. Not only have the teams met in three of the last four NCAA championship duals, but this season, they split six matches. UCLA’s three wins over Southern Cal account for 60% of the Trojans’ losses while USC’s three wins over the Bruins account for 50% of UCLA’s losses.
That said, this match looks like a tossup and will likely go a full five sets today. Hopefully, the Bruins will be able to bring home NC #123 and UCLA’s second in two days.
NCAA Beach Volleyball National Championship
Teams: #2 seed UCLA Bruins (35-6) vs. #1 seed Southern Cal Trojans (36-5)
Scheduled Time: Sunday, May 5, 2023, 8:00 am PT
Where: Gulf Beach Place, Gulf Shores, AL
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Go Bruins!!! Beat $c!!!! Bring home NC #123!
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Ouch. Southern Cal takes the point on the 4s and are now just one point away from a four-peat.
Bruins need to win on all three remaining courts.
$c wins the first point on the 2s.