No. 2 UCLA beach volleyball (18-3) is set to face No. 1 Stanford (23-2) on Friday afternoon before taking on No. 4 USC (21-4) on Saturday afternoon at Main Beach in Laguna Beach, California. The Cardinal and Bruins have been competing for the No. 1 spot in the AVCA rankings, with the former taking the top spot after the Bruins had held it for three consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, the Bruins last matchup against the Trojans ended in a 3-1 redemption win for the blue and gold, following a 3-1 loss at the 2025 MPSF Beach Volleyball Championship last season. Sports staff writer Chloe Agas, who is writing her final scouting report at the Bruin, discusses the talent ahead of the weekend.

Stanford:

Coach: Andrew Fuller

Starting lineup: Avery Jackson / Kelly Belardi, Ruby Sorra / Brooke Rockwell, Charlotta Bell / Logan Tusher, Clara Stowell / Indigo Clarke, Chloe Hoffman / Elena Fisher

Strength: Depth

X-Factor: Avery Jackson / Kelly Belardi

Beware the Cardinal

With a 23-2 record so far this season, the Cardinal tops the AVCA Collegiate Beach Poll at No. 1.

At the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Cardinal punched in five wins to open the season, including one against the then-No. 1 ranked Bruin squad.

Across 25 matches, Stanford has lost to a pair of teams it will face at the Best of the West tournament this weekend – No. 4 USC and No. 2 UCLA.

This year’s roster features No. 1 court pairing of Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson, who recently earned AVCA/CBVB National Pair of the Week and MPSF Pair of the Week. During the Cardinal’s Texas road trip, the duo went 5-0 and clinched the team’s victories against then-No. 6 Texas, then-No. 12 LSU and No. 16 FAU.

Jackson – who clinched the winning title alongside sophomore Sally Perez at the FIVB U21 Beach Volleyball World Championships in October – made an imprint on the national stage, earning the USA Volleyball Junior Female Athlete of the Year in 2022-23 prior to her Stanford arrival.

Belardi, on the other hand, finished 28-7 for two consecutive seasons. The Manhattan Beach, California, local notched 28 wins in her inaugural season with the Cardinal – the second-most in a single season in program history. She also set a new program record for wins in a season when she paired with Ashley Vincent on court three.

The dark horse

Stanford has not always reached the summit.

In fact, the squad has not found itself within the top two positions of the AVCA rankings until this season, where it stands as a contender to finish at the top of the nation’s stage.

Once overlooked as an underdog, the Cardinal can no longer be counted out.

Built on an underclassmen-heavy team, the Cardinal have secured consistent points across all five courts, allowing it to accumulate 15 ranked wins and 10 sweeps this year.

For years, it seemed that the throne was always painted red and gold or blue and gold.

But this year, it may don a new color – cardinal and white.

USC:

Coach: Dain Blanton

Starting lineup: Ashley Pater / Kennedy Coakley, Zoey Henson / Sarah Wood, Alana Embry / Quincy Stephens, Kerry Keefe / Bella Satterwhite, Kyra Zaengle / Calinda Kok

Strength: Consistency

X-Factor: Ashley Pater / Kennedy Coakley

Heirs to the sand

Out of 20 players on USC’s roster, 11 are underclassmen.

But they are not to be underestimated.

Kyra Zaengle is the only freshman in the starting lineup. Zaengle boasts a 21-3 record across courts four and five alongside her partner, Calinda Kok, who is in her second season with the Trojans. Their impact hasn’t been limited to just the collegiate court, though, since they both came to USC with international experience.

Zaengle competed with the 2025 USAV U21 National Team that won silver at the 2025 FIVB U21 World Championship Trials. Meanwhile, Kok has competed nationally for the Canadian National Volleyball team and was named an All-Star at the 2023 and 2024 Volleyball Canada National Championships.

Starring on court one is Kennedy Coakley, who went 30-5 overall during her inaugural collegiate beach volleyball season. Ashley Pater and Coakley were named the AVCA/CBVB pair of the week on April 7, 2025, after securing a 16-match winning streak and etching a 4-0 record at the Best in the West tournament last season. Pater was also a part of the 2024 squad that claimed the program’s fourth consecutive NCAA title in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

USC’s pairing of Coakley and Pater holds an undefeated 10-0 record this season on court two.

The Trojans have bolstered a predominantly underclassmen lineup into a top-five unit in the nation.

Still on the hunt

Count out USC at your own risk.

The Trojans have historically dominated on the sand, winning four consecutive titles from 2021-24, and they achieved their last national title while maintaining a perfect record. But the Trojans’ bid for a fifth consecutive national title was cut short after a 3-1 loss to LMU.

Though USC has not found itself at the forefront of the rankings this season, it still poses a threat.

And despite last year’s setback, USC has continued to prove why it can’t be underestimated.

USC’s season started off the 2026 campaign with a 3-2 win against then-No. 2 Stanford at the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic, winning four out of its six matches during the three-day tournament – including a redemption win against 2025 NCAA Champion and then-No. 7 LMU.

USC has also defeated then-No. 3 ranked Cal Poly, then-No. 9 California and then-No. 6 TCU twice.

USC isn’t just competing with top teams.

They beat them.

What’s at play

As the Bruins head into competing at the Best in the West tournament this weekend, the stakes will be more than just another victory to etch into their record. With the MPSF championship just three weeks away, the competition may be a test of who will own the sand this season.

So who will come out on top? Who will be the best?