USC vs. Loyola Marymount: 2024 NCAA beach volleyball quarterfinals | FULL REPLAY

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a beautiful start to the day here in Gulf Shores Alabama as we’re about to begin our quarterfinal coverage of the NCA beach volleyball championship LMU and USC are about to square off in this best of five duel LMU has never beaten USC but this is a very talented LMU team that has the pieces they feel like can upset the Trojans they’re on a six duel win streak a couple of Pepperdine alums danne Blandon and John Mayer the head coaches of these teams Dane Blandon the national coach of the year just awarded this week also joining Madison Fitzpatrick the third member of our team Maddie all right coach short and sweet to start out the day what you like from your team in the first round that you want them to take into the quarterfinals well you know consistency you always want to play consistent you want to play with heart and you want to play with effort and leave it on the court but um they’re ready to go and uh fired up this is what you work for your entire life as a volleyball player and for some of these student athletes this is going to be the Pinnacle and it’s awesome absolutely coach mayor a chance to take down number one what’s the message what’s the mindset in the locker room or the tent coming into today’s match uh I didn’t even know who we were playing who are we playing SC is that right no uh yeah no it’s a great opportunity we’re excited to be we’re focused on us we we want to hunt we want to play our best and U yeah we’re excited to be a part of this this tournament this match good luck you guys thank you two guys very good friends off the court and today they will be competing for the right to move on to the semi-finals we have five courts going on at the same time every court has a match on it two out of three sets the first two sets are to 21 win by two the third set would be to 15 win by two if they split those first two sets the first team to win three of the courts three of those individual matches wins The Duel that is what this overall competition is called in beach volleyball it is lyola mar Mount playing USC and a beach volleyball duel and here are the five pairs that will out across the court mentioned Dane Blandon is the national Coach of the Year where Megan craft at the ones for USC is the national Player of the Year well they’re a very talented team athletic dynamic they run quick Tempo sets which that means lower sets in a fast offense LMU they bring the heat from the service line that has been their signature for years how will USC handle that tough serving today so much star power on the sand today between these two teams certainly no strangers to each other but look at that stat 30 and 0 USC against LMU will we be saying no one beats LMU 31 times in a row we will see it that’s an impressive stat but the last time they met these are a little bit different pairing matchup so I’m curious to see with these adjustments how they’re going to face off today so we will start at the ones it is Megan craft number 22 Delany Maple number 23 for the Trojans who are in those USC uniforms against loyal marry mounts V pretty vamin her actual formal name but she goes by V she’s number eight sh Schaffer will be number nine for lyola Marry Mount again we play this first set to 21 win by two both of these teams receive the ABCA Top Flight award which means they are among the best number one pairs in the nation and we are underway in our quarterfinals that schaer who delivered the first serve well that’s a great way to start off and like I said their serving has been a major part of their program she is extremely Analytical in the way she approaches the game also outstanding in the classroom and in the weight room is overcoming a torn Achilles you never see any sign of that chaffer attacking just long on that swing and USC sides out and we’ll have the serve for the first time number 23 there on the left that is Delaney Maple senior from San Diego this team by the way Nicole they they’ve been playing together since high school they did they won a indoor championship at Tory Pines High they’ve got a long history together know each other well and that is such an important piece of beach volleyball is that chemistry with your partner and your communication good dig my maple now Maple will attack that’s one of the things I love about beach volleyball and I hope you can appreciate if you’re watching watching for the first time sometimes you’re literally down in the sand digging a ball and then you have to jump right back up and attack yes you do and you really hope your partner notices that you’re down in the sand so they can lift that setup and give you a little extra time to get up and crank it good serving run here by Maple pretty got the line love that tagging the lines in the perimeter LMU and USC you’ll notice when they hit the ball they are trying to go for that blue line around the court which will then spread the defense pretty back to Serb now she is from Helsinki Finland was here at the ones last year Melanie Paul craft dug up by Shaffer and craft who many believe will be an Olympian in 2028 She is again the national player of the year and we’ve adopted an Olympic theme this year because of the Paris games they uh have produced Olympians from this program unlike any other program she could be the next that is her dream and she definitely has the talent that she desires Julia skulls another former player that recently played at USC is in that mix for 28 as well and Tina gradina who we saw here in the early years of our coverage an Olympian for lva Sarah Hughes Kelly clay now Kelly Chang they’re the number two seed right now in the Olympic rankings for USA both USC Trojans nice short serve set up that point for USC and the Trojans are off to a good start Nicole they win the first seven points 5 to2 I love this serve and when you say go for it on your serve that doesn’t mean you’re going back and ripping it as hard as you can this for me too is going for it going for that short serve and disrupting the side out game for LMU so in beach volleyball they change sides every seven points then after the score totals 21 points they have a timeout is craft serving served it right at pretty PR’s trying to go down the middle and couldn’t clear the net you know yesterday we didn’t see that from pretty she was getting it over a nice hand on the ball right now playing the number one team in the country perhaps a few little nerves got to shake those out these first few points and get things going right craft serving again she’s had a nice day serving so far a smart shot by shafford well she is an incredible player I just had my eye on her yesterday thinking she is really doing it all she is going on two helping her partner out like she does right here going with the momentum that ball is flying close to the tape good idea to get rid of it Shaffer already with a degree in accounting and is now working on a masters and you really see that analytical side of her in her beach volleyball the way she does film [Music] studies well in USC right here is really setting the tone with their aggressive style of play Coming Out Swinging and that’s going to set up shots for them later as we go on in this match Maple serving another good serve bottom dropped out of it and that little M hit goes out of bounds and USC has led from the very beginning so far here in this first [Applause] set the last time these two met up on April 18th same match up here the Trojans came out on top 2112 2119 in fact a crafted Maple three and0 against this team of PRT and Schaffer I you know Sam for me time to call a timeout things are getting off the rails here for LMU the unforced airs we didn’t see that yesterday so coming in today again like I said new opponent new day call that timeout steady it out so again five matches are going on all at once when a team wins three of the five matches the duel is over we go to the twos now now LMU on the left side of your screen USC on the right Madison white Matty chis for USC white is number 10 Chris is number 11 taking on Isabella reffle and Alicia Stevens of loyal rle number two Stevens number three this is an international pair for LMU number two there on the left rle she’s from Sweden and her partner Stevens on the right is from Australia big swing by raffle well that was a beautiful angle coming in strong thumb down shot that’s not easy to do she was a little bit flat to the net but what range rting Chris though up nine to five there here it is again take a look coming in a little flat to the net then opens up that thumb going down and just too much to handle for USC number two for lyola marmount is going back to serve now rles she dates one of the best beach volleyball men in the world that is Jonathan helig who will be a big factor at the Olympics and they’re the number one seed right now for Sweden going into the Olympic rankings and they have a style of play that has really changed the game very quick Tempo sets jump setting you don’t see that a lot people leaving the sand and jump setting the ball to their partner so it’s been really fun to watch and she will also go to Paris and support him and that’ll be a awesome experience I’m sure white serving for USC Trojans have doubled up the score here in the opening set at the twos and they continue to build that lead what a block by Madison white that was a sweet block and again USC on this court going for the short serve as well and that cuts the approach down for LMU coming in you speaking of the Olympics Madison white fell in love with beach volleyball watching the Rio Olympics that’s when she really discovered the sport can’t blame her Brazil is beach volleyball Mania there it’s unbelievable I know a lot of people go there and train in the off season there’s just nothing like it the coaching the training the the beauty right now all five courts are in action USC has the lead on four of the five they’re tied at the fours these are two out of three set matches on the five courts whoever wins three of these matches first wins The Duel and moves to the semi-finals later today USC had to win three three matches or three dusel to win the Pack 12 Championship this year because they lost and had to come through the contenders Brack well and they started off against UCLA and that match was 2 hours and 18 minutes I think I remember so that was down to the wire and you don’t play three du in a day normally so to be able to recover rest especially mentally physically is very impressive how about that reaction from Chris hey she’s like you know what I got the Dig no matter what if I don’t get set on the third touch that’s okay I’ll put it away on one nice reaction into the angle little slide and it pays off there’s a transfer from Stanford Stanford having its best season in beach volleyball we’ll see the Cardinal later today in the quarters as well Stanford the number three seed in this [Applause] Championship you know the thing about USC Nicole is who they have as alternates would be starting anywhere else in the country and would probably be representing that school here at the championship I mean Dane bandon’s team is just loaded well absolutely they’re so deep and that’s the thing the practices are so high intense competitive every single day and that’s tricky to balance as well because every single day doing that mentally can be exhausting so he’s talked about that just finding that balance of that competitiveness at each and every practice but he’s got options that’s for sure and figuring out these lineups throughout the season is something that I know the coach has a lot of thought and time into it figuring out which pairs are going to be best together chemistry-wise playwise and to make the strongest five things under control at the twos let’s go back to the ones that block is goes out of bounds Point USC USC at the ones this has been very lopsided right now as I look across all five courts USC has the lead on every Court in the first set in these two out of three set matches USC the three time defending Champion the only USC women’s team in any sport to three repat and if they win for AOW they would put themselves in a very elite company in the entirety of NCAA Sports a huge attack by Schaffer well and that’s what she can do pry lifts that setup nice and that ball was either setable or going on two and I love that aggressive play that we saw yesterday she’s continuing that in to today John Mayer the coach for lyola Marry Mount he he feels like the conditions here are more like what they practice on and play on at lyola maybe more so than any other team yeah they are able to get to the beach and ply Vista there and can train you’ve got the wind the elements it’s a little bit shallower there than Manhattan and Hermosa and so they’ve got some experience what would you say are the trademarks of the here in Golf Shores I would love to play on these courts they are beautiful number one but they’re a little bit more shallow so a quicker game higher vertical quicker in the sand on defense back there when the sand is deeper it’s a little bit slower so USC has doubled up the score at the ones they will take their 21-point timeout here’s where we stand the threes have come back for LMU and have tied the score and now taken the lead at the threes so USC has the lead on four of the five five courts in the opening set across the Sands of Golf Shores Alabama spend a day at the beach with us quarterfinals and semi-finals all day trying to win four in a row it would mean the players that like the Norse twins would have won four NCA championships for their career that would be absolutely incredible that would be so impressive and that’s what we talked to head coach Dane Blandon about is do you address it and he said well it’s kind of like the elephant in the room everyone knows it’s there we don’t talk about it a lot but just how to manage kind of those emotions and what goes into it and you know that’s the thing you’re focusing on one point at a time one Duel at a time to try to get to the top USC also has won the NCA title in 2016 and 17 Anna CER was leading the program she turned the Rings over to Dane Blandon and his teams have never failed to win the National Championship 178 here at the ones I mentioned the Norse twins just a moment ago and the USC does have a pair of twins that everyone that is familiar with this sport is familiar with they play at the threes we’ll be seeing them in just a little bit as well they’re actually down two right now in the first set over at the threes USC though is leading on every Court except at the threes and craft and maple have been dominant here at the ones absolutely I mean they have not looked back from the first point starting it up LMU did as him on that first one I feel like and maybe that woke USC up like oh no this isn’t going to go down like this today we bring in the twos on the right side of the screen so they’re getting close to finishing the first set as well again we’re going to 21 win by two on both of these Courts for the first set 1812 at the twos on the right side of your screen and the lead builds for USC on the left side of your screen at the ones 19 to8 [Music] and lenu another error at the twos gives up USC the 1912 League boy I tell you what USC in these first sets for the majority of them is looking good to start this day they are and as I said last year take a look at those numbers there yeah 20 to8 on court number one and that’s impressive pairs number two Maddie Chris as you mentioned from Stanford a top program now coming in but she knows what it takes to win and she’s proven out there at pair number two back to the ones this is the court with the set point craft and maple on the left side of your screen of USC against schaer and PT on the right side and pretty able to keep LMU in this set at least for another Point well and here’s the deal Sam 2019 it’s a tough one to come back especially against the number one team in the country but you’ve got to get some good plays and some momentum on your side as you go into set number two and just forget about this one and move forward and make those adjustments error there by crap I I know like for example in tennis sometimes it’s better to lose the first set bad than a really tight first set and have to come back in the second how about in Beach I think it depends on the person how they kind of bounce back and it’s the mental game too it’s huge as in tennis as well that what are they going to do in set number two and as coach John Mayer said at the top of the show we have to worry about our side and handle the ball and that’s what elmu has not done this set there too many unforced errs so they got to clean those up as they move forward so SE takes the opening set at the ones we go to the twos white and criis on the left side of your screen getting close to finishing this set as well these are some pretty lopsided scores at the ones and twos set point USC and again you mentioned at the top how close LMU actually was to USC when they played this year well the Trojans have not left anything to chance so far in these first sets and they remember that matchup and so they’re coming out knowing that LMU is capable of big things so they come out from the first serve setting the tone again with the aggressive play that Dane Blandon loves toing the blocker for the Lions there 20-3 still set point for [Applause] USC good [Music] serve that was a nice Serve by rle and that’s exactly what they need to kind of get them back into this bring that tough serving try to get them in trouble set point for USC at the fives as well gner and Thomas against fette and thorup and again these scores are are surprising USC’s had its way for the most part in these first sets but I am starting to see a little common theme that at least lm’s playing a little better in these final points and just got out of hand early as the twos Crossing sides set point on both courts for [Music] [Applause] USC twos on the left side of your screen fives on the right side USC won the opening set at the ones a few moments ago so their point away from there’s the set at the fives so USC wins the first set at the fives still playing here at the twos Stevens and rle a little bit of a run here they they’re still facing four set points though they’re going for it and that’s what you need need to do is get the ball over tough serve give yourself a chance in defense to get those digs and that’s one thing John Mayor said he wants this pair to do be more aggressive when they are not aggressive he said that’s when they struggle that’s right be on the attack don’t be attacked and rle is aggressive there they cut the deficit to three and for USC right now receiving serve so that one touch and stay aggressive for them as well don’t let up and go to those shots but do what’s been working and their aggressive play has been paying off so far this set still set point USC Chris will put it up for white nice block into the open white and USC survives the LMU Run Deep in that set and USC now has won the opening set at the ones TW and fives we go to the fours now where SE is up 1915 sits and perer that’s Grace sites about to serve for USC against hooker and Chen hooker number four chin number one for LMU this is Chen attacking and she puts it down 1916 well Cassie chin number one who just cranked that one coach John Mayer said she’s the leader of this team and has the Heart of a Lion she wasn’t in the lineup the first three years but her loyalty and hard work has paid off and he’s couldn’t be more proud of her we bring the Norse twins onto the show for the for the first time today and they are the only pair for USC that’s in danger of losing the opening set at the moment as it is set point for LMU Ramirez and poya the north twins have been a bankable point for USC they’re on a seven match win streak they’ve won eight straight NCAA matches but Ramirez and poya have now won the first set so for the Norse twins to keep that win streak alive they’re going to have to win in three and that’s the first set LMU has won so far today here’s set point for USC at the fours per the Freshman from Bradenton Florida [Applause] serving the block is on and USC claims another opening set so the Trojans the three-time defending champions in this sport have claimed the opening set on four of the five courts in these best of three set matches whoever wins three of these courts first wins The Duel and moves on to the NCA beach volleyball championship semifinals we’ll dive into second set coverage across all five courts when we return to gol Shores Alabama couple of exciting adrenaline fill Sports I don’t think they’d like sand on the track though there no I think you’re right back to the ones where craft and maple one of the top teams in the history of USC has been dominating this match surprisingly because schaer and pry again are among the premier ones in the country but craft and M have had their num so far Maple crosscourt well they certainly have in there is a reason why Maple is so good with her vision listening to her partner but pry yesterday was blocking off the court from what we saw in the match up versus Hawaii and right now they’re taking her out of the game by setting well and tight keeping her at the net and just chipping around her block nine to3 Crafton Maple and an ace you know it’s interesting how danne bland described his number ones for USC on the right side of your screen he said they do the dance yeah they work so well together it’s almost like they don’t have to talk they just know each other they have a history together and they move well if you watch them on the court it’s a beautiful Rhythm reading off the block the D it’s fun to watch so they are sitting down at the moment we go to the twos white and chis for USC have just gone up 5 to2 and they’ll do the walkin talk this is one of the unique things about beach volleyball you see the coaches walking with the players they do that every seven points what are some of the things coaches communicate to players on those walk and talks well they want to keep it short and sweet you don’t want to overload the players they’ve already got a lot on their minds but just little key reminders or maybe an adjustment like hey they’re beating you to the sideline take a step over there small little things in that time wind has not become a factor yet it typically picks up as we get later in the day but there’s such thing as the good side and the bad side good side would be when the wind is blowing in your face bad side would be when it’s at your back I always tried to make it the good side and the better side well you’re a glass half full person that’s why I like hanging out with you but also the way this facility is set up that ones twos and threes play Closer to I guess the road or to The Venue whereas fours and fives are Out on the Ocean so that changes things as well out on the gulf I should say [Applause] thees of the Gulf of Mexico you see them up at the top of your screen Gulf Shores Alabama final year of this event being here before it moves out to California for the next two years it’s been such a popular place with these teams and fans on the [Music] line well we’ve talked a lot about danne Blandon being the national coach of the year but before danne took over the USC program this program was created and really put on the map by Anna clier and the former Trojan head coaches with Madison Fitzpatrick now Maddie coach Anna clier from 2012 to 2019 you led the Trojans three national championships you had 20 all-americans go through your program how does it feel to watch the game here at Gulf Shores which is something that you helped start it’s amazing like the energy here is so incredible like people are knowledgeable they look at the teams they know who they are they’re rooting but for me personally it almost feels like you know having a child and all you want is that child to grow up and be happy and successful and to me nc2a beach volleyball is happy and successful and it just makes me like glow even though it’s hot out here I’m glowing from The Thrill of the growth and development of this program it’s amazing and speaking of the growth you recruited this senior class for USC Megan craft Delaney Maple the Norse twins how have you seen them grow and how proud are you of them for what they’ve done with the Trojan Empire well the Trojan Empire I love that I’m going to quote you on that it is an Empire um for me I saw them young and I saw their skill so I’m proud of their skill development but I’m seriously more proud of their leadership development I knew as little girls they grow into these great leaders as women and if you really watch you can see the rest of the team does turn to them and does go okay and they’re like we’re fine we’re good we’re getting a fourth National Championship it’s okay and that’s what really makes me proud is the growth of the women that they’ve become and the leadership skills that I saw young are there and it’s I’m so proud and so happy so I kind of become irrelevant after this year it’s like sad but I I you know what it’s a great thing you did your part for the sport of volleyball and USC thank you so much enjoy the rest of the tournament thank you for having me well I I can tell you one thing Anna CER is never going to be Irrelevant in this sport no she’s not and if anything she always wants the best for her athletes I trained with her when I was in a pro career and she invited me to her swim class Sam she was teaching at Santa Monica junior college and would I would go there to do cardio and at the end of class she’s like all right class you’re not dismissed until Nicole can do a no breather which means one Lop without taking a breath but she knew I could do it she put wishes her athletes to be the best they can be on and off the court well even with current head coach Dane Blandon Dane had a whole other life he was doing really well in in broadcasting and public speaking and she was relentless in pursuing him to be her assistant and he said you just can’t say no to Anna caller no you certainly can’t and she has built this program and also knew who to surround herself with to make it and keep it going so one of the Trailblazers in this sport right now she’s got to be very happy with how the Trojans have come out here at the ones as craft and maple have been leading this match pretty much from start to finish with the exception of the first point maple back to serve Delany Maple senior from San Diego she had the amazing moment of clenching the National Championship in 2021 over Florida State well Michelle Schaefer right now has no fear she is going up and helping out her team right now crushing those on twos which is when your partner lifts you up on one and you put it away on that second contact so the one still leading as they sit down for USC will go down to the fives now and again this court is just steps away from the Gulf of Mexico it is a court that along with the fours is impacted by weather more than any other because of how close you are to the waters really nothing to block the wind more shells out here they sifting shells the other day and get them out cuz they were getting a few Nicks on their feet but this beach is so beautiful the sand and as you mentioned they’re right there on the edge of the water so that wind is coming in and can really affect the ball’s movement and again having that experience of playing in the wind is huge as all these teams come here and some head to the beach before they come to go Shores and they want to get those windy days so they head for the afternoon hours and try to make the best of it may Thomas serving Lefty and this is a team for USC hasn’t played a lot together this year but they’ve been successful when they do and they are leading this match against for Fett and Thor we go back up to the four or to the twos excuse me white and Chris still leading Stevens and rle right now we’re in the second set across all five courts whoever wins three of the courts first wins the duel and moves on to the semifinals UFC the three-time defending national champions against LMU who comes out of the West Coast Conference they’ve won that conference Championship for five straight years and LMU came into this duel on a sixd win streak they have been playing their best of the season they have and they’ve got that’s a great momentum coming into this championship this particular team has been kind of up and down for them they could beat anyone and sometimes they can go out and lose anyone so they’ve got to come out strong from the beginning and kind of figure those parts out I think the best way to put it for R and Stevens is what their head coach John Mayor said he said they’re Dr Jackel and Mr High I’m just not sure what I’m going to get but when they’re good they can beat anyone in the country and that’s the part about being aggressive when they’re playing aggressive volleyball that is their best volleyball so just one of the fun things about this sport just the unpredictability of it and how Dynamic it is is that is rolled over perfectly by white so we go to the threes now Audrey and Nicole Norse I mentioned they’re on a seven match win streak this season they’re on an eight match NCAA win streak they had not lost a set since 20121 and they dropped the opening set here and this is a different look for them when they met up on April 18th they actually won here against hooker and Chin they were at the threes for LMU so LMU made the adjustment and flip-flopped hooker chin with Ramirez and poya so this is a different matchup for the Norris Twins and coaches will move players you can go up a spot or down one pairings right side of your screen are the nors twins and the righty is Audrey that is Nicole the Lefty attacking they are among the most recognizable beach volleyball players in the country go back up to the ones where USC is getting close to getting its first point of the duel remember all of the five courts count as a point whoever wins three of the courts first will win the duel and craft Maple this is a this is a very impressive start yeah this is very strong start for them I mean they again as we we mentioned they’re the top pair in the country and they just know each other well this is their second year playing together so that chemistry and communication built up although they’ve known each other since high school it’s just you know this pressure at the Collegiate level is so much more so being able to develop and still grow your game when they’re already as good as they are is impressive when I say start I’m referring to the day because it’s looking like they’re going to win this match and then the semi-finals are later today and Maddy I know You’ stood to cross the net from these two absolutely and it’s not just that they’re good now they have been good since high school like you guys said placing as high as fifth in an AVP as teenagers coach Bandon said they call it doing the dance and they do the dance really well block defense they look very comfortable together Delaney knows how to move around the block Megan is very sound up there they’re obviously very comfortable and what a statement coming out in the quarterfinals and dominating like happen Madison Fitzpatrick a third member of our team she was a star at Florida State she’s the only one of our team that has actually played in this event and gives us such a unique perspective this pair 61 wins as a pair which is sixth in Trojan history they are the current Pack 12 pair of the year and of course part of the three-time defending Champion program for the last three seasons and they are are pouring it on it is match point at the ones for craft and Maple and craft on the left there the national Player of the Year all the postseason awards were handed out this week so the Trojans have the national player of the year and the national Coach of the Year blocked and it’s over USC on the board behind the block of Megan craft so USC wins at the ones and takes a one lead in the overall duel they need two more wins well if that isn’t a statement Sam I don’t know what is but two of the leaders on this USC team setting the tone all eyes are on them and they have delivered huge block from Megan craft and not only pair of the year with Delaney Maple but also in 2021 202 22 with Tina Gardina so she is a player who has been a staple for this team and an excellent partner no matter who she plays with and by the way they are excellent role models and ambassadors for the sport we invite you to continue watching the NCA beach volleyball national championship the actual Championship duel is tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern on ESPN for more information on the NCA beach volleyball championship visit nca.com your home for all 90 NCAA championships we’re just getting started in our quarterfinal and semi-final coverage along the Sands here of Gulf Shores Alabama we ski down to the fives now well in that last shot you saw Delany Maple and mcraft running off they’re not going for an assai okay they’re running to the next court to cure on their teammates and that’s the fun part about this sport is when your court finishes you get a water and you run over to cheer on your teammates and help them get through I may have to disagree with you I think they might grab one on the way to watch they’ve earned it that is one of the most popular features here at this venue that the I bowls for players fans ESPN Personnel inent so gner and Thomas of USC little bit tighter match with LMU than the ones had that is thorup there in the blue on the left her her partner fette Thor up one of the many Canadians that is on the rosters here among the 17 teams in Gulf Shores Team Canada’s producing a lot of beach volleyball players right now they are they’re sprinkled throughout all these programs really making an impact the country and this is interesting to me Nicole forette is from neille Illinois and she said I am proof that you don’t have to live at the beach to be a beach volleyball player and I think that’s what we’re seeing more and more as the years go on it’s usually California Florida Texas is now a hotbed US has seven Texans on their team and now you know neille Stanford Brook Rockwell from Huntsville Alabama or excuse me fville and um you know things are popping up the Juniors is popping up across the country and that’s what’s so nice to see the growth of the game so Match Point here for USC to go up 20 in The Duel May been Thomas the sophomore from South Lake Texas served and that is popped into the open court by Abby thorup [Music] [Applause] still Match Point USC it will give them a commanding two lead again in first set action they only dropped one and that was surprising that it was the Norse twins who surrendered the first set and USC takes a commanding 20 lead in The Duel gner with the final [Applause] blow so again the the beauty of this sport is it can end so quickly and within a matter of minutes we may be finished if white and Chris can hang on here at the twos and when you play twice obviously and your first you want a quick start oh yeah you want to come out strong and get off the Sands get those feet up and rest hydrate because it gets hot out here and as you said the emotions as well not only the adrenaline rush that’s going on is exhausting too too so being able to get off and recover and focus onto the next one is huge the beauty of this event is that the players of the teams all stay so close by USC actually can walk over from where they are staying to these courts they can scout from their balconies 1910 USC leading and that is hammered by raffle raffle again the Junior from Sweden [Applause] Swedish player and an Aussie for LMU on this court white sends it over little trick play there you can go onto with a handset like that if you’re facing where the ball’s going to go so she can’t go on the side and do something tricky like that you’ve got to face it and LMU is definitely not ready for that one I think that’s what she’s probably talking to the ref about making sure she was facing that area and so this this is a big moment Nicole it is not only match point for the twos it is dual point for USC they win this and they sweep the Lions pris serve drifts out still though match point and dual point overall for [Applause] [Music] USC winner of this moves on to the semi-finals to face either calp or Florida State that will be our next duel here on ESPN 2 white and white secures the victory for the Trojans they win at the twos and win the overall duel the horn will blow signifying it’s over all the courts come off now and USC is moving on to the semi-finals still looking good to try to [Applause] foreat well if that wasn’t a tone Setter Sam I don’t know what was but those scores are something to look at USC is here and they are primed and ready yeah they certainly are USC now into the semifinals of the national championship again they’ll play the winner of calp and Florida State one of the duels that everyone was looking forward to seeing coming up and the Trojans won’t have a lot of time to celebrate because they’ll be back playing in their semi later today at 2 Eastern that’s the scheduled time for that so the most dominant program in the sport over the last three years continues to move on and the Trojans will face either Florida State or calply later this afternoon here on ESPN 2 we’ll play all four quarterfinals first and then that will be the first semifinal later today and Madison Fitz Patrick standing by with USC’s ones and they certainly had a good outing today Maple and craft again one of the top pairs in the nation Craft Player of the Year they won their match 21-10 21-9 and we send it down to Maddie now she’s with both of them well you two are no stranger to the ones Court here at this tournament you came out really calm really confident in both of the matches that you’ve played so far where do you derive all that calmness and Confidence from yeah I think just trusting that our team uh is really deep and really stacked and we just wanted to get a point on the board and trust that everything else will take care of s um yeah D was awesome partner today and I think we both just wanted to play loose and enjoy the last couple games we have as college volleyball players yeah last night Gustavo our assistant coach he told us like play like a kid and for some reason that like hit me and I was like you’re so right like I started this cuz I love it and like these are my last few Collegian games so I was like I just want to go out there and like leave the court knowing I enjoyed it and I think that’s exactly what we did it was one of the first games I’ve ever played here where I didn’t feel like sick to my stomach butterflies like I just felt so excited to be here and obviously have having her next to me is like the most incredible thing ever so I just I wanted to have fun and I’m glad that’s what we did and the journey continues semi-finals in 4 hours what’s the game plan until then strategizing you’re staying out here going back to the hotel what’s the game plan yeah probably maybe watch a set or two of this live and then go back cool down fuel up um strategize with our coaches and hopefully be ready to go good luck you guys thank you thank you so USC One Step Closer Ser to defending their National Championship calply in Florida State warming up that will be our next quarterfinal duel the winner of this one will face the Trojans later today