Sunday, October 29
Pullman, WA
1:00 PM
USC
3
at
0
Washington State
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's VolleyballNo. 19 USC Volleyball Sweeps Washington State
October 29, 2017 | Women's Volleyball, Features
The Women of Troy got 14 kills from junior outside hitter Alyse Ford
PULLMAN, Wash. – Powered by a 14-kill performance by junior outside hitter Alyse Ford, the 19th-ranked USC women's volleyball team (16-7, 8-4 Pac-12) completed a 3-0 sweep (25-23, 25-16, 25-13) of Washington State (14-10, 3-9) at Bohler Gymnasium on Sunday, Oct. 29.
Ford hit .400 (4e, 25att) and got in on one of USC's nine blocks. Freshman outside hitter Brooke Botkin continued to impress as she logged 10 kills (3e, 22att, .318) to go with eight digs, two blocks, and a service ace. Senior opposite hitter Niki Withers scored nine kills (3e, 18att) for a .333 hitting percentage and had a block and the service ace that clinched the first set for the Women of Troy.
Senior opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie scored eight kills (3e, 22att, .227) and had five blocks. At the middle position, senior Jordan Dunn had five kills (0e, 8att) for a .625 hitting percentage and led all players with eight blocks.
The Trojans hit .337 (47k, 13e, 101att) in the match and had outstanding performances from senior setter Reni Meyer-Whalley who had 15 assists and seven digs; and sophomore setter Cindy Marina who posted 20 assists to go with a service ace. On defense, junior libero Victoria Garrick had 13 digs and four assists while sophomore Jenna Adams had six digs with a pair of key service aces.
For the Cougars, Ella Lajos had 10 kills and three blocks. Casey Schoenlein had eight kills but also had seven hitting errors. Setter Ashley Brown had 14 assists and seven digs.
The first set was tied 14 times and neither team could go on a big run until the Trojans seized control at 22-20. Despite a response from the Cougars to knot the score at 23-all, Ford's seventh kill of the opening frame gave the Women of Troy set point before Withers scored an ace against WSU libero Alexis Dirige for the 25-23 win.
USC had a four-point lead erased by a short Cougar run but was in front, 17-16, when Dunn and Abercrombie teamed up for a block that sparked an 8-0 burst to end the set, 25-16, for the Trojans. Adams served back-to-back aces before an overpass kill by Dunn pushed USC ahead, 22-16. Dunn scored two more blocks down the stretch to help close out the set for a 2-0 Trojan lead.
The Women of Troy scored the first three points of the third set and were never threatened en route to a 25-13 win. The Trojans hit .483 and collected 17 kills (3e) on 29 attacks. Botkin had six kills, Withers had five kills, and Ford scored three in the win. Withers crushed her final kill of the match on a set from Garrick to give USC match point at 24-13, but it was Botkin who served out the final five rallies to put the match on ice.
USC returns to Galen Center for its next four matches and will host Arizona State (10-14, 0-12 Pac-12) on Friday (Nov. 3) and Arizona (9-12, 3-9) on Sunday (Nov. 5) for Homecoming Weekend on the University campus. The Trojans and the Sun Devils will serve it up at 7 p.m. PT and be shown live on the Pac-12+ streaming platform. USC and the Wildcats will meet on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. PT and be shown live on the Pac-12 Networks.
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
Ford hit .400 (4e, 25att) and got in on one of USC's nine blocks. Freshman outside hitter Brooke Botkin continued to impress as she logged 10 kills (3e, 22att, .318) to go with eight digs, two blocks, and a service ace. Senior opposite hitter Niki Withers scored nine kills (3e, 18att) for a .333 hitting percentage and had a block and the service ace that clinched the first set for the Women of Troy.
Senior opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie scored eight kills (3e, 22att, .227) and had five blocks. At the middle position, senior Jordan Dunn had five kills (0e, 8att) for a .625 hitting percentage and led all players with eight blocks.
The Trojans hit .337 (47k, 13e, 101att) in the match and had outstanding performances from senior setter Reni Meyer-Whalley who had 15 assists and seven digs; and sophomore setter Cindy Marina who posted 20 assists to go with a service ace. On defense, junior libero Victoria Garrick had 13 digs and four assists while sophomore Jenna Adams had six digs with a pair of key service aces.
For the Cougars, Ella Lajos had 10 kills and three blocks. Casey Schoenlein had eight kills but also had seven hitting errors. Setter Ashley Brown had 14 assists and seven digs.
The first set was tied 14 times and neither team could go on a big run until the Trojans seized control at 22-20. Despite a response from the Cougars to knot the score at 23-all, Ford's seventh kill of the opening frame gave the Women of Troy set point before Withers scored an ace against WSU libero Alexis Dirige for the 25-23 win.
USC had a four-point lead erased by a short Cougar run but was in front, 17-16, when Dunn and Abercrombie teamed up for a block that sparked an 8-0 burst to end the set, 25-16, for the Trojans. Adams served back-to-back aces before an overpass kill by Dunn pushed USC ahead, 22-16. Dunn scored two more blocks down the stretch to help close out the set for a 2-0 Trojan lead.
The Women of Troy scored the first three points of the third set and were never threatened en route to a 25-13 win. The Trojans hit .483 and collected 17 kills (3e) on 29 attacks. Botkin had six kills, Withers had five kills, and Ford scored three in the win. Withers crushed her final kill of the match on a set from Garrick to give USC match point at 24-13, but it was Botkin who served out the final five rallies to put the match on ice.
USC returns to Galen Center for its next four matches and will host Arizona State (10-14, 0-12 Pac-12) on Friday (Nov. 3) and Arizona (9-12, 3-9) on Sunday (Nov. 5) for Homecoming Weekend on the University campus. The Trojans and the Sun Devils will serve it up at 7 p.m. PT and be shown live on the Pac-12+ streaming platform. USC and the Wildcats will meet on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. PT and be shown live on the Pac-12 Networks.
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 improved to 50-14 in all-time meetings with Washington State.
- The Women of Troy earned their fifth 3-0 sweep of the season.
- The Trojans were without starting sophomore OH Khalia Lanier due to injury/illness for the fourth consecutive match.
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