National Champion USC Beach Volleyball Team Lands Leaf NIL Deal

Four-time defending champion Women of Troy athletes each have their own trading card

Darryl Webb/For the Republic, Darryl

With the celebrations continuing around their fourth straight National Championship, USC's beach volleyball team earned a historic NIL deal with Leaf Trading Cards, bringing a team-wide collection to life.

On Wednesday, Leaf launched a groundbreaking web exclusive trading card set - their first-ever with a women's beach volleyball team - featuring autographs of all 21 USC athletes, headlined by the nation's top pair of AVCA National Player of the Year Megan Kraft and two-time All-American Delaynie Maple. Each pack of Leaf's 2024 Pro Set Southern California Beach Volleyball Set will include one autographed card and a complete base card set of the team.

"Having our own trading cards is such an incredible opportunity and an amazing way to grow our sport," USC's team captain Maple shared. "I am so happy our whole team got to be part of this historic Leaf Trading Cards deal and make more noise surrounding beach volleyball as a whole.”

Everyone collects Women’s sports cards

4-peat National Champion Southern California beach volleyball complete team set + 1 autograph card per pack

Look for multi autographs randomly inserted! @USCBeach

NOW AVAILABLE
🏐🏐🏐🏐🏐🏐https://t.co/3KwjNbWAyG pic.twitter.com/ZqUamNgTqo

— Leaf Trading Cards (@Leaf_Cards) May 15, 2024

The top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Women of Troy beat arch rival and No. 2 UCLA 3-0 in the NCAA Championship, in which they went undefeated throughout the tournament. They became the first USC program to win four consecutive National Championships since the men's water polo team won six straight from 2008-2013. A dominant athletic program on all fronts, USC won their 38th National Championship by a women's team and the 136th title all-time by a USC team.

"I'm incredibly proud to have contributed to this project, which aims to shine a spotlight on the world of women’s sports trading cards and collaborate with the four-time national champions of the USC Beach Volleyball team," said CJ Breen, Leaf's Director Of Marketing and Licensing. "These remarkable women have demonstrated excellence both on and off the court, establishing themselves as a dynasty within the beach volleyball community."

Three Women of Troy pairs earned all-tournament honors for the second time in program history, led by Kraft and Maple. Graduate twins Audrey and Nicole Norse - who for the second year in a row, clinched the National Championship with dramatic wins - were named to the team for the third time in their careers. USC's freshman Ashley Pater and Grace Seits were chosen to the team from the No. 4 position.

With a quick turnaround from NCAA Championship to finals and graduation, the Women of Troy have finally caught their collective breaths but with this new team-wide NIL deal, continue to shine light on their historic achievements and the sports of beach volleyball overall.

"Through the collective efforts of Leaf, this collaboration has propelled the brand to new heights, making it the most inclusive trading card brand in the industry's history," Breen added. "I'm thrilled for trading card enthusiasts nationwide to experience this incredible set, featuring rare multi-autographs from the star-studded USC team."

Leaf has innovated in the NIL trading card space - especially as it relates to supporting women athletes - and counts the likes of LSU's Livvy Dunne and UConn's Paige Bueckers as brand ambassadors. Leaf has worked with Michigan's Donovan Edwards, Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Colorado's Travis Hunter, among other returning college football stars as well.

USC's beach volleyball team joins LSU's National Championship-winning women's gymnastics team and Michigan's softball and women's gymnastics squads as full-team Leaf collaborators.