Pac-12 Conference Tournament Features Nation's Top Beach Volleyball Teams

Pac-12 Conference Tournament Features Nation's Top Beach Volleyball Teams

The Pac-12 beach volleyball tournament kicks off Thursday, April 27, 2017. Here's what to keep an eye out for.

Apr 26, 2017 by Megan Kaplon
Pac-12 Conference Tournament Features Nation's Top Beach Volleyball Teams
The second-annual Pac-12 beach volleyball conference tournament kicks off in Tucson, AZ, on Thursday, April 27, with nine teams hoping to secure a title and an automatic bid to the NCAA championship in Gulf Shores, AL, on May 5-7.

The far-and-away favorite to do so will be undefeated reigning national champion and tournament No. 1 seed USC. Top Trojans pair Sara Hughes and Kelly Claes have only lost one match in the past two seasons, leading USC to an impressive 30-0 record this year (9-0 Pac-12).

Second-seeded UCLA ( 26-3 overall, 4-2 Pac-12), has the best chance to pull off the upset. However, the Bruins and the Trojans have played twice already this season, with USC winning both meetings. In fact, in the history of the two programs, UCLA has never beaten USC.

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Tournament host Arizona snagged the No. 3 seed with a 4-3 conference record (15-8 overall), and Arizona State clocks in at No. 4 (15-14 overall, 3-4 Pac-12). Fifth-seeded Stanford, No. 6 Cal, No. 7 Washington, No. 8 Utah, and No. 9 Oregon round out the team championship field.

The team tournament starts Thursday at 9 AM PT, and the team championship match will take place at 1 PM PT on Friday.

The pairs tournament, featuring the top two pairs from each school, will follow immediately, beginning Friday afternoon with the championship match scheduled for 1 PM PT on Saturday.

Pac-12 beach volleyball team bracket

In the pairs bracket, USC's Claes and Hughes earned the top seed and will be the favorites to sweep. However, UCLA's No. 2-seeded top pair of Canadian twins, Megan and Nicole McNamara, will be hungry for the upset as will No. 5-seeded Arizona twins Madison and McKenna Witt.

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Also keep an eye on Arizona State's Bianca Arellano and Whitney Follette, a pair of seniors who hold the record for career wins at ASU with 43 and earned the No. 3 seed in the pairs bracket.

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Pac-12 beach volleyball pairs bracket

The Pac-12 Network will provide live coverage of the conference tournament, starting at 9 AM PT on Thursday and Friday.