SAN FRANCISCO — USC beach volleyball juniors Nicolette Martin (Anaheim, Calif.) and Allie Wheeler (Saratoga, Calif.) were named the first-ever Pac-12 Pair of the Week as announced by the conference on Tuesday, March 8. The duo went 4-0 in dual matches from the No. 3 position to help the Women of Troy earn victories over No. 3 Hawai’i, No. 4 Long Beach State, and No. 6 UCLA at the Pepperdine Kick Off this weekend.

Martin and Wheeler provided the Trojans’ clinching point in a 4-1 win over the Rainbow Wahine with a 21-16, 21-14 decision over Ari Homayun and Emily Maglio. In USC’s only loss of the tournament, the pair earned one of two points in a 3-2 loss to No. 2 Pepperdine with a three-set win over Skylar Caputo and Corinne Quiggle, 21-19, 18-21, 15-9.

In the team’s meeting with the crosstown rival Bruins, Martin and Wheeler earned a 21-17, 21-17 straight-set win over Ivey Schmitt and Kamila Tan as part of a 5-0 sweep by the Trojans. With the dual score tied, two-all, with Long Beach State, Martin and Wheeler went to a third set with Jenelle Hudson and Ciana Wager. The Trojans won the first set, 21-10, but dropped the second, 21-16. It was their 15-8 win in the third that provided the final point in a 3-2 win over LBSU.

Pac-12 beach volleyball, the league’s 23rd sport, is in its inaugural season as an NCAA championship sport. The league has a national-best three teams in the top seven of this week’s AVCA Top 10 poll. No. 2-ranked USC (3-1) will play its first home matches of the season as hosts to Arizona State, Florida State, and Loyola Marymount this Thursday and Friday (March 10-11) at Merle Norman Stadium. The Trojans’ matches with the Seminoles and Lions will be broadcast on Pac-12 Los Angeles.