One has to wonder if USC’s beach volleyball team ever broke a sweat on its way to winning the inaugural NCAA beach volleyball championship—even in the bright Gulf Shores, Alabama, sunshine. In four outings over the three-day tournament, the Trojans lost only one match. They swept Georgia State in the first round, Pepperdine in the second, won a 3-1 decision over No. 1 seed Florida State in the semifinals and then turned around and beat the Seminoles again in the final-—this time in three straight matches.

But perhaps to assert that the Trojans came by this piece of history easily would undermine their impressive performance. Top USC pair Sara Hughes and Kelly Claes ended their junior seasons 48-0, fittingly claiming the 21-15, 21-10 victory over Florida State’s Jace Pardon and Julie Brown that earned the Trojans the 3-0 championship decision. No. 5 pair Jo Kremer and Zoe Nightingale joined Claes and Hughes on the all-tournament team, winning 17 straight matches to close out the season and boasting a 32-6 overall pair record.

“Everybody said, you know what, if we all take care of our own little piece, we can come home with this,” said USC head coach Anna Collier. “And everyone took care of their little piece. We’re bringing home the natty.”

With the historic win, USC beach volleyball echoed the USC women’s indoor volleyball program, which won the inaugural NCAA women’s volleyball championship in 1981. The Trojan beach volleyball program also repeated as beach national champs, having won the AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball Championship team and pairs title a year ago.

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