Volleyball Opens Season Against Texas, Arkansas at Texas Invitational
August 28, 2000 | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 28, 2000
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The Facts
The USC women's volleyball team opens the 2000 schedule this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 1 & 2) at the Texas Invitational against host Texas and Arkansas, respectively. Coming off a successful 1999 campaign in which the Women of Troy finished with a 21-9 overall record (13-5 Pac-10) and a No. 17 final ranking, USC returns five starters who each earned all-conference accolades last season. These players - Janae Henry (Sr., OH), Antoinette Polk (Sr., OH), Lauren Killian (So., OPP), Jennifer Pahl (Jr., MB) and Tracy Lindquist (So., S) - will welcome a six-member top-ranked recruiting class which includes 1999 Gatorade National Player of the Year April Ross and four-time All-American Katie Olsovsky.
The Last Outing
The Women of Troy made their first appearance of the season on Saturday (Aug. 26) at the annual USC alumni match. Against a squad which included former Trojan standouts Katie Haller (1990-93), Alaina Kipps (1995-98), Jeanne Vetter (1994-97), Bonny Brunst (1993-96) and Laurie Hill (1993-96), the 2000 Women of Troy dominated the action. The Trojans swept the alumni, 15-6, 15-3, 15-8.
Did You Know?
* USC, currently preparing to welcome Head Coach Mick Haley to the program following the 2000 Olympics, will challenge Haley's former team this week. Haley, who spent 17 seasons at Texas and guided the Longhorns to two national titles, posted two losses and two victories against the Trojans during his tenure in Austin.
* Sophomore returning letterwinner Julie Mariani currently holds the USC career and single season record for ace average after posting 0.47 aces per game as a freshman.
* Freshman Jaime Carroll is the daughter of former NFL head coach Pete Carroll.
* Sophomore Lauren Killian's Trojan roots span nearly four generations amounting to 10-plus USC alumni, including her father, Don, who played for USC's 1977 NCAA champion men's volleyball team.
* Middle blocker Jennifer Pahl spent the summer traveling throughout India with Athletes In Action.
* Sara Peterson's uncle, Tom Peterson, is the current women's volleyball head coach at Utah State and was named the 1994 National Coach of the Year after leading the Penn State men's volleyball program to a national championship.
* Beach buff Tracy Lindquist played in the 2000 Pro Seal Beach Open and represented the United States in 2-man beach volleyball in Isreal this summer with her partner, sister Katie Lindquist.
* Defensive specialist Nicole Davis owns a black belt in karate.
Rankings
USC has various rankings to boast about in 2000... The Women of Troy's incoming class of 2000 was honored as the nation's No. 1 recruiting class according to Volleyball magazine. .. Volleyball also ranked the USC team No. 4 in the 2000 preseason poll... USC earned a No. 7 preseason ranking according to the USA Today/AVCA's Division I preseason rankings... Among Pac-10 coaches, USC is picked to finish 3rd.
Opponent Notes
Texas -- UT volleyball compiled a 22-8 overall record and a 15-5 record in conference play in 1999. Texas earned its 26th straight 20-win season in 1999 and its 18th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. This year the Longhorns are ranked 15th (Volleyball) and 18th (AVCA/USA Today), in preseason polls. Head coach Jim Moore who enters his fourth season at UT, returns three starters and welcomes seven newcomers to his squad.
Arkansas -- Arkansas is picked to win the Southeastern Conference Western Division
title in 2000 for a record sixth consecutive season. The Lady Razorbacks, who finished the 1999 season with a 30-7 record and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, garnered the Southeastern Conference title last year with a 14-1 record and finished the season ranked 25th. Head coach Chris Poole enters his seventh year at Arkansas and returns three starters and welcomes four newcomers.
Series Records
This will be the sixth meeting between the Trojans and Texas. USC leads the series 3-2 despite dropping the last match, 4-1, in 1991. Saturday's match will mark the first meeting between Arkansas and USC.
Past, Present and Future Coaches
Jerritt Elliott enters his second season as USC's interim head coach after serving as the Trojans' assistant for four seasons under former head coach Lisa Love. Following the 2000 Olympics, U.S.A. Women's National Team head coach Mick Haley will join the USC program.
Interim Head Coach Jerritt Elliott
USC interim head coach Jerritt Elliott was tabbed the 1999 Pac-10 Coach of the Year in his rookie season. Elliott, serving as the Trojans' head coach while Mick Haley leads the national team in the 2000 Olympic Games, became just the second coach in Pac-10 history to post 13 league wins in their first season. Troy's 13-5 (.722) conference mark was the best win percentage ever recorded by a rookie coach in the conference. In 1999 Elliott led the Women of Troy to a third-place Pac-10 finish, a 20-8 overall record, and a No. 17 final ranking in the USA Today/AVCA Top-25 poll. Thanks to his efforts, USC's incoming class of 2000 was named the nation's No. 1 recruiting class according to Volleyball magazine.
Head Coach Mick Haley
U.S.A. Women's National Volleyball Team head coach Mick Haley, who won two national championships in the 1980s while guiding the Texas women's team, will join the USC women's volleyball program following the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Due to the fact that he will not join the team until the middle of the collegiate season, Haley does not expect to take an active coaching role until 2001. Haley accepted the USC coaching position in June of 1999. In his fourth season as head coach of the U.S.A. National Volleyball Team, his squad earned a berth to the 2000 Olympics by defeating Canada to win the Nike Americas' Volleyball Challenge. Before taking over the national team, he spent 17 successful seasons (1980-96) at Texas, where he earned a 522-137-1 overall record, won two national championships and 13 Southwest Conference titles, and captured 15 NCAA tournament berths.
Player Profiles
#1 Tracy Lindquist
Setter * Sophomore
A returning starter... named to the 1999 Pac-10 All-Freshman first team... averaged 7.86 assists and 1.95 digs per game while sharing the setter's role... finished the season tenth in the Pac-10 in assists... an extremely versatile player and a great competitor for the Women of Troy.
#2 Julie Mariani
Defensive Specialist * Sophomore
A returning letterwinner who made several starts in the backrow... collected 243 digs (2.27 dpg) and led the team with 50 service aces in 1999... led the Pac-10 averaging 0.47 aces per game... her marks rank first among USC's all-time season and career records... an aggressive player on the court.
#3 Antoinette Polk
Outside Hitter * Senior
A returning starter... named to the 1999 All-Pac-10 honorable mention team... led the team in kills (407) and kills per game (3.82), finishing sixth in the conference... Ranked second on the team and fifth in the Pac-10 with 338 digs and 3.19 dpg... a premier ball control player whose offensive power makes her an All-American candidate.
#4 Nicole Davis
Defensive Specialist * Freshman
Considered one of the nation's best defensive specialist of the incoming class... played on the Junior National Team as the libero this summer... a two-time all-league selection at Lincoln High in Stockton, Calif.
#6 Jaime Carroll
Defensive Specialist * Freshman
A three-time all-league honoree at Medfield (Mass.) High... played outside hitter and setter as a prep.
#8 Sara Peterson
Outside Hitter * Senior
A three-year letterwinner... made several appearances in 1999, including a .556 hitting performance at Washington State to lead the Trojans in a 3-0 sweep of the Cougars.
#12 Kelli Lantz
Middle Blocker * Freshman
A Volleyball Fab 50 selection and member of USC's No.1-ranked recruiting class... helped lead Centennial High (Bakersfield, Calif.) to the Division I state and national championship as a prep.
#14 April Ross
Outside Hitter * Freshman
The 1999 Gatorade National Player of the Year and a Paul Mitchell prep All-American... enters as one of the nation's top freshmen and a member of USC's No. 1-ranked recruiting class... she guided Newport Harbor High (Newport Beach, Calif.) to the state and league championship in 1999.
#15 Lauren Killian
Opposite Hitter * Sophomore
A returning starter... named to the 1999 Pac-10 All-Freshman honorable mention team... played in the middle and on the outside last season... averaged 0.94 blocks per game to finish second on the team... also added 1.67 kills per game... will pose problems for opponents playing her more natural right side position.
#22 Janae Henry
Outside Hitter * Senior
A returning starter... named to the 1999 All-Pac-10 honorable mention team... led the team and ranked second in the Pac-10 with an average of 3.5 digs per game last season... with a 2.88 career dig mark, she is currently fifth on USC's all-time list... one of the strongest and most consistent players this season who should be considered an All-American candidate.
#26 Jennifer Pahl
Middle Blocker * Junior
A returning starter... named to the 1999 All-Pac-10 first team... led the team with a .293 attack percentage and 0.93 blocks per game... also averaged 3.38 kills and 2.27 digs per game... one of the premier middle blockers in the country due to her speed and quickness... an All-American candidate.
#30 /9 Toni Anderson
Setter * Freshman
A Volleyball Fab 50 selection, Paul Mitchell prep All-American and member of USC's No.1-ranked recruiting class... played with the Junior National Team after graduating from Esperanza High in Anaheim, Calif.
#33 Katie Olsovsky
Outside Hitter * Freshman
A Volleyball Fab 50 selection and four-time Paul Mitchell prep All-American... a member of USC's No.1-ranked recruiting class who was also named the CIF Division I Player of the Year in 1999... led Bishop Montgomery High (Torrance, Calif.) to the league and CIF championships.
