<p>GULF SHORES, Ala. — Sammy Slater <a href="https://twitter.com/USCBeach/status/1391478492148031489">dropped in a service ace </a> to clinch the deciding match for USC and seal its 3-1 win over UCLA in the beach volleyball duals national championship on Sunday. </p>
<p>USC (30-4) won its third NCAA beach volleyball title in its fourth championship appearance. The Trojans lost back-to-back duals against UCLA (32-5) in the Pac-12 Tournament — the first of which snapped USC’s 12-match win streak — on May 1. </p>
<p>The Bruins had won the previous two national titles in 2018 and 2019. </p>
<p>Slater, an AVCA all-America selection, and Julia Scoles — a graduate transfer from Hawaii — clinched the title with a 26-24, 21-15 win over UCLA’s Lea Monkhouse and Devon Newberry which culminated with Slater’s ace. </p>
<p>Hailey Harward and Haley Hallgren handed UCLA’s duo of Abby Van Winkle and Lindsey Sparks its first loss (21-14, 21-17) to take a 1-0 lead. The Bruin pair had been 6-0 on the year and 10-0 all-time.</p>
<p>UCLA’s Rileigh Powers and Jaden Whitmarsh won in two sets over Audrey and Nicole Nourse on court five 21-13, 26-24, their third-straight win over the Trojan twins, to tie it at 1-all before USC took the lead for good when Tina Graudina and Megan Kraft beat UCLA’s Savvy Simo and Lexy Denaburg in two sets 21-16, 21-17.</p>
