USC
18-11, 10-8Pac-12
Oregon
19-8, 12-6Pac-12
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
USC Falls to No. 19 Oregon on Senior Night
November 19, 2016 | Women's Volleyball
Final Stats | Notes | Final Statistics (PDF) 
LOS ANGELES -- The USC women's volleyball team (18-11, 10-8 Pac-12) dropped a four-set decision (23-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-14) to No. 19 Oregon (19-8, 12-6) at Galen Center on Saturday, Nov 19. The Women of Troy honored seniors Alice Pizzasegola, Elise Ruddins, and Taylor Whittingham in pre-match ceremonies.
Ruddins put up 10.0 points with seven kills and five blocks (one solo). Pizzasegola dished out 18 assists and had three digs. And Whittingham finished with 13 digs and three assists. On Senior Night, it was freshman outside hitter Khalia Lanier who led the USC offense with 12.5 points on 12 kills. She also had eight digs and a block.
Sophomore outside hitter Alyse Ford picked up eight kills in just three sets of action. Junior opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie added eight kills and six digs and junior opposite Niki Withers had nine kills and three blocks. Junior middle blocker Jordan Dunn scored on three kills and a block. Junior setter Reni Meyer-Whalley had 21 assists and three digs and sophomore defensive specialist Victoria Garrick picked up seven digs.
The Ducks had four players in double digits for kills led by Ronika Stone who had 14. Taylor Agost scored 13 kills; Jolie Rasmussen had 12, and Lindsey Vader Weide had 11. Amanda Benson put up 17 digs.
After six first-set ties, the Trojans broke away for a 10-7 lead on kills by Abercrombie, Lanier, and Dunn. USC coasted to a 20-17 lead but Oregon scored three straight to knot the score at 20-all. Lanier and Ruddins logged back-to-back kills to put the Trojans back ahead for good. Withers' kill gave USC set point before Ford cleaned up the 25-23 win to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead in the match.
Despite an early 6-2 lead in the second set, the Trojans found themselves in a back-and-forth battle through the belly of the frame. USC went ahead by two at 14-12 on a Withers kill but was caught in the eighth tie of the set at 16-all. The teams traded points until back-to-back kills by Stone put Oregon ahead for good at 21-19. Ruddins' solo block of Nady pulled the Trojans within a point at 24-23, but Stone went down the line for the final kill of a 25-23 Oregon win.
Oregon scored back-to-back kills from Rasmussen to snag a 4-2 lead in the third set and never looked back. The Ducks built an eight-point lead at 20-12 on another Rasmussen kill. She finished with four and Oregon got another four from Agost in a .419 hitting performance that netted the Ducks a 25-13 win and a 2-1 lead in the match. The Ducks raced out to a quick 5-0 lead in the fourth set and were never threatened as they ran away with a 25-14 win to complete the four-set victory.
Up next, the Trojans head to the Palouse to face Washington State on Wednesday, Nov 23. USC and WSU will meet at 7 p.m. PT at Bohler Gym in Pullman, Wash. The Trojans and Cougars will be streamed on Pac-12.com/live. The Women of Troy will then close the regular season against crosstown rival UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, Nov. 26. The Trojans and Bruins will meet at 5 p.m. PT and be shown live on Pac-12 Los Angeles.
For more information on the USC women's volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Periscope, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram.
MATCH NOTES
- USC fell to 52-12 in all-time meetings with Oregon. The Ducks have won at Galen Center in three of their last five visits.
- The Trojans fell to 9-9 at Galen Center. The nine losses are the most in a single season at the venue since it opened in 2006. Previously, USC had lost eight at home in 2014.
- Freshman OH Khalia Lanier recorded her 27th double-digit points match of the season.
- Senior libero Taylor Whittingham registered her 25th match this season in double digits for digs (13).
- Whittingham's 13 digs gives her 1,686 career digs and puts her within 17 digs of third place in USC's all-time record books (Katie Haller, 1990-93; 1,702 digs).
