Three Pac-12 teams set to vie for first NCAA Beach Volleyball title
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS RELEASE | NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | NCAA BRACKET | PAC-12 ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
1 - 2016 marks the inaugural season of beach volleyball sponsorship by the NCAA and Pac-12 Conference. The Pac-12 hosted its first-ever conference championship at Merle Norman Stadium in Los Angeles from April 28-May 1. Host USC won all four of its duals to claim the Pac-12 Team title, while Trojan juniors Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes swept all four matches to earn the Pac-12 Pairs crown.
The NCAA's inaugural Championship in Gulf Shores, Ala., from May 6-8 will feature a double-elimination format and three days of national television coverage by Pac-12 Networks' broadcast team of Anne Marie Anderson and Holly McPeak:
>> truTV - Friday, May 6 - 12-3 p.m. PT; Saturday, May 7 - 12-3 p.m. PT
>> TBS - Sunday, May 8 - 11 a.m. PT
>> Live streaming coverage of every court in each match of the championship will be available on NCAA.com
3 - Pac-12 programs selected to the inaugural NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, the most of any conference in the country - #2 seed USC (30-2), #4 seed UCLA (19-6), #6 seed ARIZONA (19-5).
>> Action begins Friday with UCLA facing #5 seed Hawai'i (16-8) at 8 a.m. PT, USC taking on #7 seed Georgia State (25-8) at 9 a.m. PT, and Arizona battling #3 seed Pepperdine (19-3) at 10 a.m. PT.
3 - The number of Pac-12 beach volleyball teams in the latest AVCA Top 10 poll (5/2), tied with the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) for the conference with the most teams in the national poll.
>> #1 USC, #4 UCLA, #6 ARIZONA
7 - The number of Pac-12 alumnae currently among the 28 professionals of the AVP Beach Volleyball Tour, the most for any conference in the country:
>> Kerri Walsh Jennings (STAN), April Ross (USC), Lauren Fendrick (UCLA), Jen Kessy (USC), Geena Urgano (USC), Morgan Miller (CAL), Rachel Scott (COLO)
11 - The number of Pac-12 alumnae to compete in beach volleyball at the Olympic Games, including medalists Kerri Walsh Jennings (STAN), Jen Kessy (USC), Holly McPeak (CAL/UCLA), April Ross (UCLA) and Elaine Youngs (UCLA).
20-4 - Combined record of Pac-12 programs against East Region opponents entering the NCAA Championship (USC - 10-1, UCLA - 5-2, ARIZONA - 4-0, ARIZONA STATE - 1-1).
>> Among the eight-team NCAA field, West Region teams are a combined 33-4 vs. the East Region (UH - 7-0, PEPP - 6-0).
>> Among the eight-team NCAA field, East Region teams are a combined 11-6 vs. the West Region (FSU - 10-1, STET - 1-3, GSU - 0-3).
20-12 - The combined record of the Pac-12’s three NCAA Championship participants against the tournament field, including duals versus league opponents (USC - 12-2, UCLA - 6-6, ARIZONA - 2-4).
>> The rest of the NCAA teams are a combined 13-21 versus the field (Florida State - 5-1, Georgia State - 1-5, Hawai’i - 2-8, Pepperdine - 5-3, Stetson - 0-4).
69.6 - The Pac-12's combined win percentage against all non-conference competition (78-34), including a 75-34 mark versus NCAA varsity programs.
73.8 - The Pac-12 Conference's combined win percentage against the other four NCAA beach volleyball conferences (59-21).
>> 2-0 vs. Atlantic Sun; 25-5 vs. Big West; 12-4 vs. CCSA; 20-12 vs. West Coast