Tsawwassen’s Nicole and Megan McNamara will lead No. 1 ranked UCLA Bruins into this weekend’s NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships in Alabama.
The twins have enjoyed another outstanding season as they look to cap their junior year in style.
The Bruins will enter the tournament with a 35-3 overall record and have earned the No. 1 seed for the first time in the tournament’s history.
UCLA will open play against No. 8 Florida International which is making its first-ever appearance at the national championships. FIU’s roster includes another former South Delta Secondary volleyball standout — Ashley Klassen — who is in her freshman season.
“We are feeling really confident and really excited,” said Megan. “We have a great group of girls this year and we have a really good shot. We are the team to beat this year. It’s going to be fun.”
The McNamaras helped the Bruins win their first-ever Pac 12 title last weekend, defeating rival and defending champion USC in the final.
The Bruins No. 1 pairing did their part with a straight set (21-19, 21-15) win over Tina Graudina and Abril Bustamante.
The McNamaras were later named to the Pac 12 All-Tournament Team.
“It was our first Pac-12 win as a program and we are just going to try and ride that high into the NCAAs,” added Nicole. “We are really looking forward to it.”
Last month, the McNamaras were honoured as National Pair of the Week by DIG magazine thanks to a 15 match winning streak. They earned full-ride scholarships to the renowned Southern California school after decorated high school careers that included leading South Delta to three straight provincial titles.
