SCAC Women's VolleyballApr 28, 2016 by Megan Kaplon
5 Things To Watch In Today's Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Pairs Championship
5 Things To Watch In Today's Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Pairs Championship
Five things to keep in mind heading into today's Pac-12 beach volleyball pairs championship.
The Pac-12 kicks off its inaugural beach volleyball conference championship today. First up is the pairs tournament, which pits the top two duos from each participating Pac-12 institution (Arizona State, Arizona, Cal, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, and Washington) against each other in a 16-team bracket.
Here are the five things you should keep an eye on as the tournament advances to the final tomorrow at 11 a.m. PT:
1. If anyone besides USC’s Sara Hughes and Kelly Claes win the pairs title, it would be a HUGE upset. The top Trojan pair is undefeated so far this season and boasts a 61-match win streak that extends back to April 2, 2015. Claes and Hughes will face Arizona State’s Natalie Braun and Kwyn Johnson in the first round today at 1 p.m. PT.
2. Never underestimate twin power. The No. 2-seeded pair of Madison and McKenna Witt from Arizona are 17-1 in their junior season. No. 3 seeds Megan and Nicole McNamara of UCLA have a mixed record of 11-7 for the year, but as freshmen, they've played in the No. 1 spot for UCLA all season, helping to elevate the Bruins to the No. 2 seed in the team championship. We could see a head-to-head twin battle in the semifinals if both teams win their matches today.
3. We might see an all-USC semifinal. If both USC duos win their first two matches, Claes and Hughes would meet the No. 5-seeded Trojan pair Alexa Strange and Sophie Bukovec in the semifinals tomorrow at 10 a.m. PT. Strange and Bukovec were named the Pac-12 Beach Pair of the Week on April 18 after going 4-0 in competition, but to make it to the semifinals, they’ll have to overcome the challenge of Oregon’s Liz Brenner and Kacey Nady and the winner of Arizona State's Bianca Arellano and Whitney Follete versus Cal’s Bryce Bark and Kory Lamet.
4. Indoor Freshman of the Year Hayley Hodson to test her talent on the sand. Hodson, who led Stanford's indoor team in kills in 2015, has been playing with fellow frosh Payton Chang on the beach. The duo, which earned the No. 9 seed in the pairs tournament, is 4-7 for the season, but before coming to Stanford, Hodson trained regularly with the Elite Beach Volleyball group led by Holly McPeak and Barb Fontana. If anyone is capable of pulling an upset, it’s her.
5. You can watch the semifinals and finals Friday on the Pac-12 Network. Both semifinals will be played Friday at 10 a.m. PT with the final at 11 a.m. PT. The team tournament will kick off a few hours later at 1 p.m. with No. 1 seed USC taking on No. 8 Oregon.
Here are the five things you should keep an eye on as the tournament advances to the final tomorrow at 11 a.m. PT:
1. If anyone besides USC’s Sara Hughes and Kelly Claes win the pairs title, it would be a HUGE upset. The top Trojan pair is undefeated so far this season and boasts a 61-match win streak that extends back to April 2, 2015. Claes and Hughes will face Arizona State’s Natalie Braun and Kwyn Johnson in the first round today at 1 p.m. PT.
2. Never underestimate twin power. The No. 2-seeded pair of Madison and McKenna Witt from Arizona are 17-1 in their junior season. No. 3 seeds Megan and Nicole McNamara of UCLA have a mixed record of 11-7 for the year, but as freshmen, they've played in the No. 1 spot for UCLA all season, helping to elevate the Bruins to the No. 2 seed in the team championship. We could see a head-to-head twin battle in the semifinals if both teams win their matches today.
3. We might see an all-USC semifinal. If both USC duos win their first two matches, Claes and Hughes would meet the No. 5-seeded Trojan pair Alexa Strange and Sophie Bukovec in the semifinals tomorrow at 10 a.m. PT. Strange and Bukovec were named the Pac-12 Beach Pair of the Week on April 18 after going 4-0 in competition, but to make it to the semifinals, they’ll have to overcome the challenge of Oregon’s Liz Brenner and Kacey Nady and the winner of Arizona State's Bianca Arellano and Whitney Follete versus Cal’s Bryce Bark and Kory Lamet.
4. Indoor Freshman of the Year Hayley Hodson to test her talent on the sand. Hodson, who led Stanford's indoor team in kills in 2015, has been playing with fellow frosh Payton Chang on the beach. The duo, which earned the No. 9 seed in the pairs tournament, is 4-7 for the season, but before coming to Stanford, Hodson trained regularly with the Elite Beach Volleyball group led by Holly McPeak and Barb Fontana. If anyone is capable of pulling an upset, it’s her.
5. You can watch the semifinals and finals Friday on the Pac-12 Network. Both semifinals will be played Friday at 10 a.m. PT with the final at 11 a.m. PT. The team tournament will kick off a few hours later at 1 p.m. with No. 1 seed USC taking on No. 8 Oregon.
