University Southern California Trojans
USC
Arizona St
Trojans Triumph Against Arizona State
October 23, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 23, 1999
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Outside hitters Antoinette Polk (20 kills) and Janae Henry (20 digs) led USC to a five-game victory over Arizona State Friday (Oct. 22) night at Wells Fargo Arena. The Trojans' 3-2 (12-15, 15-13, 12-15, 15-6, 15-7) win completed a two-match sweep in Arizona this weekend.
The 17th-ranked Women of Troy improve to 13-5 overall and 8-3 in the Pac-10. Arizona State falls to 10-7 overall and 6-5 in conference play.
Polk, Troy's kill leader, also added 12 digs in the match. She was accompanied by middle blocker Jennifer Pahl who tallied 16 kills, 10 digs and a team-best .387 attack percentage. Freshman Lauren Killian sparked the team in games four and five, posting seven kills off of 16 attacks (.313). Middle blocker Amber Oliver, starting in her first match since suffering a sprained ankle on September 22, recorded 11 kills (.250) and six total blocks.
The Sun Devils' performance was dominated by the play of outside hitter Amanda Burbidge who had 27 kills (.216), 16 digs and six blocks on the night. In a highly competitive contest, Arizona State managed to out-block the Trojans, 14.0 to 9.0, but fell just short on kills, 77 to 72.
It was an intense battle from the start for the two squads battling for conference standing. For USC, attack errors and poor passing proved costly in losses of identical scores (15-12, 15-12) in games one and three. Troy's first win came in game two, despite having allowed Arizona State to tie the score, 13-13. Taking advantage of another early lead, the Women of Troy earned the first decisive win in game four (15-6) after exhibiting better ball control and a strengthened offense. In a 2-2 split, the teams headed into a rally-scoring fifth game. The Trojans gained a 3-0 lead and never trailed. Polk served for seven consecutive points as the team forced three Sun Devil attack errors, and scored on three kills and a block. A kill by Oliver completed the match victory.
The Trojans' return home to prepare to face Washington (Oct. 29) and Washington State (Oct. 30) next weekend. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the North Gym.
