No. 19 USC Opens Pac-12 Back 10 in Pacific Northwest

LOS ANGELES – 19th-ranked USC (15-6, 7-3 Pac-12) opens the back half of its league schedule with a trip to the Pacific Northwest for matches at No. 14 Washington (16-5, 6-4) and at Washington State (13-9, 2-8). USC and UW face off at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle on Friday (Oct. 27) at 6 p.m. PT. The Trojans and the Cougars meet at Bohler Gymnasium in Pullman, Wash., on Sunday (Oct. 29) at 1 p.m. Both matches will be shown on the Pac-12 Networks.

Despite being without the services of sophomore OH Khalia Lanier, USC earned a split on the road last weekend. The Trojans dropped a 3-0 decision to Colorado but fought back to take a 3-2 win over 12th-ranked Utah in the Mountains.

The Trojans are stacked at the pins and rely heavily on Lanier (4.08 kps) and OPP Brittany Abercrombie (3.20 kps) to drive the attack. Niki Withers (2.61 kps), Alyse Ford (2.39 kps), and Daley Krage (1.62 kps) are also scoring threats. Senior captain Jordan Dunn and Brittany Welsh occupy the middle of the net. Setters Reni Meyer-Whalley (6.31 aps) and Cindy Marina (5.32 aps) run USC's 6-2 system in which libero Victoria Garrick puts up 4.04 digs per set.

MATCH #22
No. 19 USC (15-6, 7-3) at No. 14 Washington (16-5, 6-4)
Alaska Airlines Arena • Seattle, Wash.
Friday, Oct. 27 • 6 p.m. PT
Series Record: USC leads, 40-26 (.606)
Last Meeting: W, 3-0 (Oct. 1, 2017 • Galen Center)
Current Streak: Won 1 • Last 10 Meetings: 3-7
TV: Pac-12N/LA/W (Anne M. Anderson & Tammy Blackburn)
Opponent Website: GoHuskies.com

MATCH #23
No. 19 USC (15-6, 7-3) at Washington State (13-9, 2-8)
Bohler Gymnasium • Pullman, Wash.
Sunday, Oct. 29 • 1 p.m. PT
Series Record: USC leads, 49-14 (.778)
Last Meeting: W, 3-1 (Sept. 30, 2017 • Galen Center)
Current Streak: Won 1 • Last 10 Meetings: 8-2
TV: Pac-12 Washington (Elise Woodward & Mike Dodd)
Opponent Website: WSUCougars.com

FIRST SERVE

USC remains ranked No. 19 in the AVCA poll for the third consecutive week.
In 12 of the preceding 16 years under head coach Mick Haley, the Trojans have posted at least the same or better record in the back half of conference matches as they have in the front half.
USC owns five wins over ranked opponents this season: No. 6 Washington, at No. 7 Creighton, at No. 11 UCLA, at No. 12 Utah, and No. 16 Michigan.
The Women of Troy are 1-9 in their last 10 visits to face UW in Seattle, but are 7-3 in the last 10 visits to Pullman to face WSU.

LAST TIME OUT: Without OH Khalia Lanier, the Women of Troy lost back-to-back matches for the first time this season, as Colorado pulled the 3-0 upset in mile-high territory. Unfazed, USC bounced back to claim an upset of its own by taking down 12th-ranked Utah in a five-set thriller.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES: The road is treacherous in the Pac-12, and the Women of Troy have had their share of struggles in the Pacific Northwest. USC is 1-9 in its last 10 visits to face Washington in Seattle. While the Trojans have typically controlled the series history against WSU, they are 7-3 in their last 10 trips to Pullman. USC has gone 8-12 over the last 10 years in the state of Washington. Despite the rough recent history, the Trojans are 37-28 all-time in the Evergreen State.

1,000 SHIPS: USC's win over Arizona State on Oct. 5, 2016, was the program's 1,000th all-time victory. The Trojans became just the 17th program in NCAA Division I women's volleyball history to reach the 1K milestone. USC is the owner of six national championships (three AIAW and three NCAA) and has won eight conference crowns including two since the inception of the Pac-12 (2011 and 2015). Head coach Mick Haley has led USC to each of its 100-win milestones since the program's 600th victory. The Trojans won their 800th, 900th, and 1,000th all in home matches under Haley's direction.

BUT FIRST, 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, Snapchat, and Periscope by searching for @USCWomensVolley.

900 CLUB: USC head coach Mick Haley ranks third in career NCAA Division I victories (947) among active coaches behind only Penn State's Russ Rose and Navy's Larry Bock. Haley is in his 34th season as a Division I coach, but has 41 years of overall coaching experience and is 1,295-335-1 (.794) in all matches including men's and women's at Kellogg Community College.

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Players Mentioned

Brittany Abercrombie

Jordan Dunn

Alyse Ford

Victoria Garrick

Daley Krage

Khalia Lanier

Cindy Marina

Reni Meyer-Whalley

Brittany Welsh

Niki Withers