Written by Grace DeWitt, USC blog contributor
The Women of Troy launched their 2015 campaign with a shocking speed that has stunned their first 13 opponents. According to head coach Mick Haley, this storm has been brewing for quite sometime.
"We've been watching the different systems as far back as when we played at Penn State [in 2011]," said Haley. "We had made a conscious decision that we were going to go fast as soon as we could get our personnel to match up with what we wanted to do."
This season has brought a mix of new coaches and players that has finally enabled Haley to execute his grand plan. He's been thrilled with a coaching staff that has "really stepped it up" at practice, in turn heightening the sense of excitement he feels when the players report to the gym each day.
Next is a host of new freshmen talent that has pleasantly surprised him by quickly acclimating to the new style of play and to college life. They complement a score of seasoned veterans including junior Taylor Whittingham, who leads the conference in digs per set, senior Alicia Ogoms, who leads the conference in blocks per set, and senior Samantha Bricio, who leads the conference in points scored per set.
"Those three are pretty much taking care of business," said Haley, adding that the current roster had been carefully constructed over the past few years with this new system in mind.
"Those three are pretty much taking care of business," said Haley, adding that the current roster had been carefully constructed over the past few years with this new system in mind.
"That's really how this is. It's not anything that's been a guess or a panic or anything like that. It's been pretty premeditated," said Haley. "This has always been the plan."
Despite their perfect record, the coach maintains a cautious optimism, and wouldn't be surprised if other teams have yet to take the Trojans seriously. "We're playing such a different system, it's hard to believe this will work," he said. "We're so fast that you really think that eventually we'll just error ourselves out of matches and that's a legitimate discussion. So far, we're responsible enough that that hasn't happened."
For now, the team's accelerated pace presents an exceptional challenge to their conference opponents. "It's something that other teams can't practice for, so now we are kind of an anomaly," said Haley. "Are you going to spend your time practicing for us, or are you going to spend your time practicing for the other 11 teams?"
Though they couldn't be off to a better start, Haley sees areas in need of fine-tuning. The Trojans opened Pac-12 play against crosstown foe UCLA in a match won by a promising defensive performance, one that Haley emphasized must continue to develop. Also on his to-do list is bringing his backups up to a higher level for improved depth. But no matter how much more work still needs to be done, it's impossible for anyone to ignore just how bright the future looks for these ladies.
"If I get up in the morning and I'm not excited to come to work, that's the time to quit," Haley said. "I'm up every morning and I can't wait to get here to see what they can do next."
"If I get up in the morning and I'm not excited to come to work, that's the time to quit," Haley said. "I'm up every morning and I can't wait to get here to see what they can do next."
USC heads up the coast this weekend to take on No. 8 Stanford on Sunday. Catch the game live at 4 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks.
