UCLA
USC
Bruins' Late Rally Falls Short at NCAA Championship, 2-3
May 07, 2023 | Beach Volleyball
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GULF SHORES, Ala. -- No. 1 UCLA (40-4) dropped the first two points of the dual and could never recover as a late rally ended with a 3-2 defeat to No. 3 USC (32-5) in the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship on Sunday afternoon at Gulf Beach Place. UCLA fell to 17-23 all-time against the Trojans, who won their third straight NCAA Beach title.
USC scored the first point of the dual on court four when Jenna Johnson and Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope defeated graduate student Marlie Monserez and sophomore Jessie Smith, 22-20, 21-14, to put the Trojans up 1-0. The Bruin duo ended the year at 15-2 overall (12-2 on court four). Monserez ended her Bruin career with an overall record of 48-17 while Smith is 53-17. The duo had a great postseason as well, going 7-2 (3-1 at NCAAs).
The Trojans went up 2-0 after Madison White and Madison Shields outlasted graduate student Abby Van Winkle and junior Peri Brennan on court two, 24-22, 21-23, 15-9. The Bruin duo ended the year at 29-4 overall (23-1 on court two). Brennan is now 37-5 overall in her career while Van Winkle ends hers as the Bruins' all-time leader in career victories with a 128-34 record. The tandem had a great postseason as well, going 7-1 in postseason (2-1 at NCAAs).
UCLA's court one pair of senior Lexy Denaburg and freshman Maggie Boyd started the comeback with a huge 21-17, 21-13, win over the Pac-12 Pair of the Year in Megan Kraft and Delaynie Maple and the Pac-12 Player of the Year in Kraft. The Bruin duo ended the year at 24-6 overall (21-6 on court one). Boyd is 27-6 overall and Denaburg won her 100th victory today and is now 100-29 in her career. The tandem had a great postseason as well, going 5-1 in postseason (4-0 at NCAAs) and were named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
Then graduate student Jaden Whitmarsh and senior Devon Newberry tied the dual at 2-2 with a 21-18, 21-19, win on court five over Olivia Bakos and Gabby Walker. The Bruin duo ended the year at 11-0 overall (all on court five). Newberry is now 71-20 in her career while Whitmarsh ended her career with an 85-16 record. The tandem had a great postseason as well, going 7-0 in the postseason (2-0 at NCAAs) and were also named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
It all came down to court five where USC's Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse outlasted graduate student Haley Hallgren and senior Rileigh Powers, 21-18, 19-21, 15-11. The Bruin duo ended the year at 30-4 overall (6-4 on court three). Hallgren ends her career with an overall record of 116-37 (32-4 at UCLA), while Powers has a 92-28 record.
NOTES: UCLA had 25 sweeps on the year (five at the Pac-12 Championship and two at the NCAA Championship), which is the most in program history (old record was 23 by the 2019 NCAA Championship squad) ... Abby Van Winkle, the UCLA all-time career leader in wins, ended her career with 128 ... the Bruins fell to 23-17 all-time against the Trojans ... Lexy Denaburg posted the 100th victory of her career against USC ... UCLA's 40 wins this season tied the UCLA, Pac-12, and NCAA record set by the 2018 NCAA Championship squad (40-4).
No. 3 USC def. No. 1 UCLA, 3-2
Gulf Place Beach • Gulf Shores, Ala.
Sunday, May 7, 2023 • 9:00 AM PT/11:00 AM CT
Records: UCLA (40-4), USC (32-5)
1. Maggie Boyd/Lexy Denaburg (UCLA) def. Megan Kraft/Delaynie Maple (USC) 21-17, 21-13
2. Madison White/Madison Shields (USC) def. Abby Van Winkle/Peri Brennan (UCLA) 24-22, 21-23, 15-9
3. Audrey Nourse/Nicole Nourse (USC) def. Haley Hallgren/Rileigh Powers (UCLA) 21-18, 19-21, 15-11
4. Jenna Johnson/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (USC) def. Marlie Monserez/Jessie Smith (UCLA) 22-20, 21-14
5. Devon Newberry/Jaden Whitmarsh (UCLA) def. Olivia Bakos/Gabby Walker (USC) 21-18, 21-19
Order of finish: 4, 2, 1, 5, 3*
