University Southern California Trojans
No. 19 USC Heads to Berkeley to Battle Bears
October 21, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
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USC Match Notes (PDF) 
| California Match Notes (PDF)
Match #19
No. 19 USC (11-7, 4-4) at California (8-10, 0-8)
Haas Pavilion | Berkeley, Calif.
Wednesday, Oct. 22 - 7:30 p.m. PT
Series Record: USC leads, 52-11 (.825)
Last Meeting: W, 3-1 (Nov. 1, 2013 | Berkeley, Calif.)
Current Streak: Won 6 | Last 10 Meetings: 8-2
TV: Pac-12 Net. (Krista Blunk & Tammy Blackburn)
Opponent Web/Live Stats: www.CalBears.com
Match #20
No. 19 USC (11-7, 4-4) at No. 1 Stanford (18-0, 8-0)
Maples Pavilion | Stanford, Calif.
Sunday, Oct. 26 - 5 p.m. PT
Series Record: Stanford leads, 57-25-1 (.301)
Last Meeting: W, 3-2 (Oct. 30, 2013 | Stanford, Calif.)
Current Streak: Won 3 | Last 10 Meetings: 5-5
TV: Pac-12 Net. (Brian Webber & Kevin Wong)
Opponent Web/Live Stats: www.GoStanford.com
LOS ANGELES - The 19th-ranked USC women's volleyball team (11-7, 4-4 Pac-12) faces the unenviable task of completing its regular season with eight of 12 matches on the road. It begins this week as the Women of Troy head to the Bay Area for a Wednesday-evening (Oct. 22) bout against California (8-10, 0-8) in Berkeley, Calif., at 7:30 p.m. PT. The Trojans will return home for a short respite before heading back to the South Bay to take on top-ranked and undefeated Stanford (18-0, 8-0) at Maples Pavilion on The Farm on Sunday evening (Oct. 26) at 5 p.m.
The Trojans and the Golden Bears will appear live on the Pac-12 Networks with Krista Blunk and Tammy Blackburn on the call while the USC-Stanford matchup will feature Brian Webber and Kevin Wong on the broadcast.
USC has been a hard study for opponents who scout the Trojans. The team has employed 14 different starting lineups in just 18 matches. Despite the return of All-American outside hitters Samantha Bricio and Ebony Nwanebu, the Trojan roster is chock full of inexperience with 11 freshmen and sophomores on the ticket. Head coach Mick Haley--who earned his 350th win with the program earlier this season--has mixed up his use of setters, his use of a freshman-heavy rotation and a senior-heavy rotation, and has made use of both a two-setter system and a modified 5-1.
Regardless of its lineup, USC can't change its schedule, and must face the tough road ahead. Last year, the Trojans went up to the Bay Area and completed a regular-season series sweep against both California and Stanford for the first time since 2003; only the third time in school history that USC had achieved the feat (2000, '03, '13). It was also the first time that the Women of Troy claimed both matches in the Bay since 2006. USC is 52-11 all-time against the Bears and has won six straight against Cal including four consecutive at Haas Pavilion.
With a shift in lineups, sophomore setter Alice Pizzasegola sets the starting rotation for the Trojans and puts up 5.53 aps. Senior OH and former setter Emily Young (1.00 aps, 1.54 kps) carries setting duties as she rotates through the front row. Senior setter Hayley Crone and Pizzasegola had USC hitting at a .261 clip (fifth in the Pac-12) through 18 matches with 13.72 kps (6th).
Regardless of who is setting, Bricio is a favorite target. She leads the team and ranks seventh in the league with 3.90 kps. Her range out of the back row extends beyond the end line where she tacks on 0.90 service aces per set to rank first in the conference and second in the entire nation. Bricio ranks fifth in the Pac-12 for points (5.07 pps) and has racked up 60 service aces this season. With 188 aces, she has already become USC's all-time career leader in aces and ranks second in Pac-12 history. Last year in the Bay Area, Bricio recorded two aces against the Cardinal and five against the Golden Bears.
A force on the right side, Nwanebu is averaging 2.85 kps (.250) this season and had an incredible outing against Oregon State in which she knocked down 20 kills without an error on 39 swings for a .513 hitting rate. Nwanebu has also begun rotating through the back row and logged her first-career double-double with a career-high 11 digs against the Beavers. Fellow sophomore OH Elise Ruddins has returned to form and helped the Trojans to their victory over OSU with 10 kills and adds 1.12 kps.
A pair of freshmen outside hitters has stepped straight into major roles for the Trojans' rotation and could help load the court with players that can score at any time. OH Lauryn Gillis started USC's first 17 matches and collects 2.29 kps (.180). Gillis also ranks fourth on the team with 2.00 dps. OH Brittany Abercrombie has appeared in 28 sets and hits .248 with 2.00 kps.
Defensively, the Trojans have gotten strong production from junior MB Alicia Ogoms who leads the team with 0.95 bps. Ogoms also delivers on the offensive end with 1.49 kps and a .332 hitting percentage. The Women of Troy can also go young in the middle with freshman Jordan Dunn who has posted 1.15 kps to go with a .393 hitting rate this season. Senior MB Hannah Schraer posts 1.27 kps and 0.62 bps for the Trojans. In the backcourt, sophomore libero Taylor Whittingham (4.27 dps) anchors the Trojan defense and ranks second in the Pac-12 for digs.
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA: The Golden Bears (8-10) are 0-8 in Pac-12 matches. In their last match, the Bears dropped a four-set decision to Colorado in Boulder, Colo. Senior opposite Christina Higgins powers the Cal offense with 3.53 kps (eighth in the Pac-12). She also ranks 10th in the conference in points per set (3.76 pps). Higgins' help at the pins include freshmen OH's Ashten Smith-Gooden and Christine Alftin who are hitting 2.29 kps and 2.19 kps, respectively. California's middle attack comes from junior MB Lillian Schonewise (2.53 kps) and junior MB Lara Vukasovic (1.74 kps). Running the Bears' offense is sophomore setter Alyssa Jensen with 755 total assists for the season (10.79 aps). Jensen ranks fifth in the conference in assists. Defensively, sophomore libero Maddy Kerr leads the Bears with 4.10 dps (fifth in the Pac-12).
USC-CAL SERIES HISTORY: The Women of Troy own a 52-11 overall record in their series with the Golden Bears, and are 21-7 all-time in Berkeley. The Trojans have won their last six meetings with California, and four straight at Berkeley's Haas Pavilion. Last time up, USC defeated Cal, 3-1, in 2013.
HEAD COACH RICH FELLER: California head coach Rich Feller is in his 16th year with the program. He has led his team to 12 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including six appearances in the regional semifinals, two national semifinals, and one NCAA title match in 2010. Feller has coached 15 All-America selections and was named the 2010 AVCA National Coach of the Year, and the Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year in both 2007 and 2010.
SCOUTING STANFORD: The top-ranked Cardinal (18-0) is undefeated through 18 matches and 8-0 in the Pac-12. Over the weekend, Stanford beat Colorado in five sets and Utah in four. Junior MB Inky Ajanaku powers the Cardinal offense with 3.52 kps (ninth in the Pac-12). Ajanaku is also eighth in conference in points per set (4.23 pps), and fourth in blocks (1.23 bps). Redshirt freshman MB Merete Lutz is Stanford's other middle option. Lutz collects 2.53 kps and is second in the Pac-12 in hitting percentage (.472). Threats from the pins include junior OH's Jordan Burgess (2.86 kps) and Brittany Howard (2.16 kps). Senior opposite Morgan Boukather nets 2.67 kps. Junior setter Madi Bugg runs the Cardinal's traditional 5-1 offense and has recorded 721 assists (11.82 aps) for second in the Pac-12. Senior libero Kyle Gilbert leads the conference in digs with 299 digs (4.53 dps).
USC-STANFORD SERIES HISTORY: The Women of Troy are 25-57-1 in their series history with the Cardinal. They are 6-34 against Stanford on The Farm. USC has won five of the last six meetings with Stanford, including three straight. This is the Trojans' longest winning streak against the Cardinal since it won four straight from 2002-2004.
HEAD COACH JOHN DUNNING: Stanford head coach John Dunning is in his 14th season with the Cardinal. He boasts an 805-169 career record, and is 386-67 (.852) on The Farm. He has coached 18 All-Americans and four AVCA National Players of the Year. Dunning has led Stanford to seven Pac-12 titles, and his teams have reached the national championship match in six of his 13 seasons as head coach.
LET ME TAKE A #SELFIE: Get social with the Women of Troy this season. Fans can follow and interact with the USC women's volleyball team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by searching for @USCWomensVolley.
HI, MOM! I'M ON TV: The Trojans will appear on live television broadcasts in 21 of 30 regular-season matches this season. USC matches at the USC Classic and the Pac-12/Big Ten Showcase, and all but three of the Trojans' conference matches will be carried by the Pac-12 Networks. USC's regular-season finale at UCLA will be broadcast live on ESPNU. In addition, the Trojans appeared on the West Coast Conference's digital network (TheW.tv) in the Community Bankers Volleyball Classic in Stockton, Calif., and on the new SEC Network's digital platform when they played Kentucky in the Commonwealth Classic in Lexington, Ky.
LAST TIME OUT: USC split home matches with Oregon and Oregon State over the weekend. The Trojans dropped a four-set decision to the Ducks (25-16, 26-24, 24-26, 25-17) but shifted and rebalanced to earn a four-set win over the Beavers (19-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-16). Junior OH Samantha Bricio earned her ninth double-double (17 kills, 15 digs) of the year (31st career) and clocked in with five service aces against Oregon State to help power the Trojans to victory. Sophomore OH Ebony Nwanebu had an incredible outing in which she put down 20 balls without an error (39att) to log a .513 hitting rate and recorded her first-career double-double with a career-high 11 digs. Sophomore OH Elise Ruddins had 10 kills in just her sixth start of the season and her first significant action since her month out following a tonsillectomy. The Trojans also got 14 digs from sophomore libero Taylor Whittingham who had her eighth straight match in double digits for digs. She leads the team with 14 such matches this season.
