GULF SHORES, Ala. – After taking down No. 4 seed Florida State for the first time in program history to open the day, the fifth-seeded Cal Poly Mustangs fell to three-time defending champion and No. 1 seed USC in the semifinal round of the 2024 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship.
Cal Poly caps the season at 31-7 with the first trip to the national semifinals in program history. Meanwhile, No. 1 seed USC improves to 36-5 and will play for their fourth consecutive national title and sixth in the last eight seasons. The Bruins will take on the victor of No. 2 seed UCLA and 11th-seeded LSU tomorrow for the Championship.
Opening the day against the Seminoles, Cal Poly started off hot out of the gate, taking the first set on three of the five courts at the Nos. 2's, 3's, and 5's to start off the match.
The No. 5 seed Mustangs' No. 3 pair of graduate Lindsey Sparks and freshman Quinn Perry got Cal Poly on the board first after a dominant performance, winning the match in straight sets, 21-11, 21-11.
Cal Poly's No. 2 pair of junior Piper Ferch and freshman Erin Inskeep then gave the Mustangs a 2-0 lead after winning 21-17, 21-12, with the final point coming off an ace. The win was the 30th for the tandem, ranking top in the Cal Poly history books for the most wins by a pair in the season.
After the Seminoles won at the No. 1 spot to make it 2-1, the Mustangs' No. 5 pair of juniors Abbey Reinard and Madison Nichols took care of business. The duo opened with early leads in both frames en route to the 22-20, 21-12 match to clinch the dual and send Cal Poy into the semifinals with a 3-1 win.
The Trojans were able to advance to the penultimate round after seeping through the eighth-seeded LMU Lions to open the day on the sand. Against the Mustangs, USC took first-set wins on all five courts, but Cal Poly rallied back to force a third set at the No. 2 and 5 courts to stay in the match. However, the defending champions were too much to overcome, taking match points on the three remaining places in the lineup to close out the dual.
The pair of the national collegiate victories were the first wins on the national stage for a Big West team since 2021, and the first semifinals appearance since 2018 (Hawai'i). The conference enjoyed historic success in 2024, earning three bids into the Championship field for the first time since beach volleyball became a conference-sponsored sport in 2016.