University Southern California Trojans
No. 2 USC Continues Home Stand with Ducks and Beavers
November 10, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
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VETERANS DAY PROMO: All current military members and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard) receive FREE admission to the USC-Oregon match on Wednesday (Nov. 11). No RSVP for tickets is required. Show your military or professional ID at the Galen Center box office to receive tickets. Thank you for your service!
Nov. 10, 2015
Match #27
No. 2 USC (25-1, 13-1) vs. Oregon (12-11, 6-8)
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
Wednesday, Nov. 11 • 7:30 p.m. PT
Series Record: USC leads, 50-11 (.820)
Last Meeting: W, 3-0 (Oct. 25, 2015 • Eugene, Ore.)
Current Streak: Won 1 • Last 10 Meetings: 7-3
TV: Pac-12 Los Angeles/Oregon/Network (Anne Marie Anderson & Tammy Blackburn)
Audio: USCTrojans.com (Paul Duchesne)
Opponent Web: GoDucks.com
Match #28
No. 2 USC (25-1, 13-1) vs. Oregon State (5-19, 3-11)
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
Thursday, Nov. 12 • 7:30 p.m. PT
Series Record: USC leads, 49-9 (.845)
Last Meeting: W, 3-1 (Oct. 23, 2015 • Corvallis, Ore.)
Current Streak: Won 1 • Last 10 Meetings: 9-1
Web Stream: USC Pac-12 Portal (Paul Duchesne)
Opponent Web: OSUBeavers.com
LOS ANGELES -- The second-ranked USC women's volleyball team (25-1, 13-1 Pac-12) continues a four-match home stand as the Trojans welcome Oregon (12-11, 6-8) and Oregon State (5-19, 3-11) for midweek matches at Galen Center. Both matches are set for 7:30 p.m. PT starts. The Women of Troy and the Ducks will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Network nationally, and on Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Oregon regionally with Anne Marie Anderson and Tammy Blackburn on the call.
USC has won three straight since suffering its first and only loss of the season. The Trojans had back-to-back weekends in the Pacific Northwest through the belly of the Pac-12 schedule, but will now play six of their final eight regular-season matches at home. USC has not lost at the Galen Center this fall and is 13-0 heading into matches with the Ducks and Beavers. In fact, the Trojans have dropped just five sets at home all season, but it's not all roses for USC. When the Trojans complete matches with Oregon and OSU, they will have played four matches in seven days.
Senior OH Samantha Bricio is just 22 kills from becoming the program's all-time career kills leader. She is already USC's career leader for attacks (5,021), service aces (279), and points (2,318.5). She leads the country in kills (5.16 kps), service aces (0.74 saps), and points (6.32 pps), and was chosen for AVCA National Player of the Week honors this week. Bricio also set a new Pac-12 single-season record with her sixth selection for the league's Offensive Player of the Week award.
At the pins, freshman OH Alyse Ford (2.80 kps) and sophomore OPP Brittany Abercrombie (2.48 kps) bolster the Trojans' offensive firepower. Senior MB Alicia Ogoms leads the Pac-12 in blocks (1.60 bps) while junior libero Taylor Whittingham is the Pac-12 leader for digs (4.99 dps).
OREGON (12-11, 6-8 Pac-12) has won two of its last three, but is 3-6 in the last nine matches, which includes a 3-0 loss to the Trojans in Eugene. Oregon is led by outside hitter Martenne Bettendorf who ranks 10th in the Pac-12 for kills (3.59 kps). Libero Amanda Benson is second in the league for digs (4.52 dps) and setter Maggie Scott ranks third for assists (10.40 aps). Scott also leads the Ducks in service aces with 22 (0.27 saps). Freshman outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide has twice been named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week and is the Ducks' second-leading scorer with 3.22 kills per set. Kacey Nady leads Oregon is blocking (0.91 bps) and contributes 1.88 kills per set on offense. USC owns a 50-11 lead in the all-time series, but the teams are 3-3 in the last six meetings. In fact, the Ducks have won two of their last three times at Galen Center. Despite that, the Trojans are 24-5 at home against Oregon all-time.
OREGON STATE (5-19, 3-11 Pac-12) has won just three Pac-12 matches; twice against California and once at home over Utah. The Beavers lean on sophomore outside hitter Mary-Kate Marshall who puts away 3.82 kills per set. Marshall also produces 1.97 digs per set and leads Oregon State with 19 service aces this season. Outside hitter Katelyn Driscoll is second on the team with 2.49 kills per set and is followed by senior pin-hitter Lila Toner who earns 2.01 kills per set. Libero Kayla Ellis leads the Beavers with 3.26 digs per set. Setter Dana Backlund dishes out 8.23 assists per set and Haley Clark is Oregon State's leading blocker at 1.03 blocks per set. The Beavers have never won at Galen Center, but snapped an 11-match losing streak to the Trojans with a 3-1 win in Corvallis last fall. In the last 35 meetings, USC has won 33 over the Beavers. Overall, the Women of Troy own a dominating 49-9 record against Oregon State and are 25-3 as the home team.
LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy defeated Colorado (3-1) and Utah (3-0) to open up a four-match home stand. Against the Buffaloes, Samantha Bricio scored 21 kills and six service aces. She also had 10 digs to log her 13th double-double of the season. The six aces marked the 18th time in Bricio's career that she has served five or more aces in a single match. Brittany Abercrombie added 12 kills and hit .450 to help push the Trojans to a four-set win. Against the Utes, Bricio remained in form to nab another 21 kills as she moved into 12th place in Pac-12 history for career kills. Baylee Johnson had 25 assists and 10 digs for her 13th double-double of the season and Taylor Whittingham led the team with 17 digs. USC hit .312 and .364 in the two matches and posted more kills than an opponent for the 25th time this season.
STRIKING DISTANCE: Senior OH Samantha Bricio has 1,897 career kills and is on the heels of the all-time program record of 1,918 set by Alex Jupiter (2008-11). Bricio is just the second Trojan in school history to cross the 1,800 kill mark and now needs 22 kills to break the Trojans' all-time record. She currently ranks 12th in Pac-12 history. In a match against Washington State (Nov. 1), Bricio broke Jupiter's school record for points (2,255.0) and now has 2,318.5 points. She is also USC's all-time career leader in attacks (5,021) and service aces (279). Bricio is the Pac-12's career record holder for aces and sits at fifth for career attacks. She would move into 10th place all-time in the Pac-12 if and when she surpasses Jupiter for the USC career record.
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, Instagram, and Periscope by searching for @USCWomensVolley.
900 CLUB: Head coach Mick Haley reached the 900-win mark in NCAA Division I women's volleyball with the team's 3-1 win over Arizona State on Oct. 16. He ranks third in career DI wins (906) among active coaches behind only Penn State's Russ Rose and Hawai'i's Dave Shoji. Haley is in his 32nd season as a Division I coach, but has 39 years of overall coaching experience and is 1,254-313-1 (.800) in all matches including men's and women's at Kellogg Community College.
