Alumni report: Torrey Pines grads seeking fourth straight national title at USC

The choices were plentiful. The decision was easy.

Seniors at Torrey Pines High School four years ago, Megan Kraft and Delaynie Maple chose to play beach volleyball at USC over myriad other offers.

“The recruiting process was exciting,” said Kraft. “But USC had everything we were looking for. It was an established program. The coaches are great. It’s a smaller university. The academics and athletics are top-notch.

“And a degree from USC, being in the USC network, means something.”

The decision has already paid huge dividends.

Both will graduate this spring, Maple with a degree in communications, Kraft in business. On the beach, USC is seeking its fourth straight NCAA championship.

Beach volleyball is a two-person game, played on a court that is 52 feet, 6 inches long and 26-3 wide. Indoor volleyball is a six-person game played on a larger court.

Playing in the No. 1 pairs slot for the Trojans, Kraft and Maple are 25-2 this season and 52-5 all-time as a pair, losing just 12 total sets.

Kraft is 115-10 in her career. Maple is 118-11.

The pair were first-team AVCA All-Americans last season, both made the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.

USC is ranked No. 2 in the nation. Rival UCLA is No. 1. The Trojans (27-4) and Bruins (28-4) have played three times this season with USC winning the first match and UCLA taking the last two.

They meet again Thursday in a Pac-12 match at USC, figure to play again in the Pac-12 Championships later this month at Arizona State and very well could play again for the NCAA Championship in early May in Gulf Shores, Ala.

USC beat UCLA 3-2 in last year’s NCAA title match.

“Beach volleyball is as strong as it has ever been,” Kraft said of a sport that boasts 62 NCAA Division 1 programs.

“When we started playing in high school, beach volleyball wasn’t even a varsity sport. It is now, and it’s growing.”

Megan Kraft and Delaynie Maple want to play competitively for as long as possible after college.

(USC athletics )

Beach volleyball wasn’t always the top priority for Kraft and Maple.

An opposite hitter in the indoor game, the 6-foot Kraft was an All-American at Torrey Pines on a team that won a state championship in 2019.

The 5-foot-10 Maple, an outside hitter, was also an All-American, finishing her senior season with 345 kills.

They were a dynamic duo on the beach. In 2019, they were the youngest duo to win a berth in the main draw of the prestigious Hermosa Beach Open.

In 2021, they won the FIVB Beach Volleyball U19 World Championships in Thailand.

“Beach was super new when we started,” Maple said. “For me, at 5-10, there were more college opportunities in beach.

“And USC with the support you get here, the fact it was 90 minutes from home, it had everything I needed.”

After graduation, home may well be a thing of the past for Maple and Kraft.

Both want to play professionally for as long as they can.

“Is there a better way to see the world?” Kraft said. “There are beautiful beaches all over the world. And the gap between the college game and the pros is smaller than it has ever been.”

The ultimate goal is the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“Most definitely the Olympics are where you want to be,” Maple said. “The people I’ve met, the places I’ve been playing volleyball are incredible. Making the Olympics would be the topper.”

More beach volleyball

Chloe Hooker (Francis Parker), a sophomore at Loyola Marymount, is 24-9.

• Alexandria Young-Gomez (La Jolla), is 17-6 this season at Cal and 55-22 in her career. Brooke Buchner (Bishop’s) is 9-3 this season and 71-34 in her career. Sierra Caffo (Point Loma) is 11-11 this season and 36-24 in her career.

Men’s volleyball

James Vaccaro (Bishop’s), a freshman at Princeton, has 87 kills and 23 blocks for a team that plays the University of Charleston in the EIVA Championship.

• Matt Oakley (Sage Creek) is the No. 1 Libero at Loyola Chicago. The Ramblers play Ohio State in the MIVA semifinals.

• Chaz Galloway (Del Norte) has 133 kills and 40 blocks for 22-6 Hawaii, which plays UC Santa Barbara in the Big West championship.

Arizona State outfielder Kien Vu played at Point Loma High School.

(Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)

Baseball

Harrison Rodgers (Scripps Ranch), a graduate transfer from Colorado Mesa, is hitting .316 at Duke.

• Kien Vu (Point Loma), a sophomore infielder, is hitting .414 with three homers and 18 RBIs at Arizona State.

• Ali Camarillo (Otay Ranch), a transfer from Cal State Northridge, is hitting .300 with three homers and 18 RBIs at Texas A&M.

• Cooper Rons (Cathedral Catholic) is 4-2 with 29 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings at Sacramento State.

• Sophomore Tyler Bremner (Scripps Ranch) is 6-0 with a 3.15 ERA at UC Santa Barbara. He has 48 strikeouts in 40 innings.

Base runner Indiana Langford (44) of Michigan looks on from first base.

(Lachlan Cunningham / Associated Press)

Softball

Indiana Langford (Poway) is hitting .295 with a homer and 12 RBIs at Michigan. She leads the Wolverines with 11 steals.

• Ava Gall (El Capitan), a freshman catcher, is hitting .305 with eight homers and 25 RBIs at Stanford. She was 8 for 13 last week in four games against Fresno State and Oregon State with six RBIs and two runs scored and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.

• Zaia Castruita (Mater Dei Catholic) is hitting .352 with a homer and seven RBIs at U-T Arlington.

• Miranda Murphy (Scripps Ranch) leads Chapman, hitting .451 and leads the team with eight steals.

John Maffei’s Alumni Report appears during the college seasons. Readers are encouraged to submit information to john.maffei@sduniontribune.com