Friday, December 8
Gainesville, FL
3:00 PM
USC
3
vs
0
Minnesota
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's VolleyballPhoto by: Matt Pendleton
Trojans Eliminate Gophers in 3-0 NCAA Regional Semifinal Sweep
December 08, 2017 | Women's Volleyball, Features
The Women of Troy will play in their 12th NCAA regional title match against No. 2-seed Florida on Saturday (Dec. 9)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 10th-seeded USC women's volleyball team (25-9) upended seventh-seeded Minnesota (28-6) with a 3-0 sweep (25-23, 28-26, 25-16) in the regional semifinal round of the 2017 NCAA Division I Championship in Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Friday, Dec. 8.
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The win propels the Women of Troy into the program's 12th all-time NCAA regional title match since the tournament bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1998. It is the 11th time that 17th-year head coach Mick Haley has led the Trojans to a regional final and the sixth time in the last eight seasons.
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In her first postseason start as a Trojan, senior middle blocker Danielle Geiger was a major catalyst as she notched four kills (1e, 7att, .429) to go with five blocks (one solo) and a service ace.
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Despite a slow start, sophomore outside hitter Khalia Lanier got going and produced her fourth-consecutive 20-plus kill performance to power the Trojan offense. Lanier tallied 22.5 points by adding two service aces and a block assist. Freshman outside hitter Brooke Botkin collected 14 kills (3e, 32att) and hit .344 with six digs and a block.
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On the other end of the tape, senior opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie posted 11 kills (5e, 21att, .286) with two blocks. Collectively, the Trojans hit .256 (54k, 20e, 133att) in the match and got 27 assists and nine digs from senior setter Reni Meyer-Whalley. Sophomore setter Cindy Marina dished out 17 assists and had four digs to go with one of USC's six service aces. The Trojans' tough serving kept the Gophers at bay as USC earned those aces against just one error. Minnesota had four service errors and no aces.
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Junior libero Victoria Garrick led all players with 20 digs and scored two points; once with an ace and once with a down-ball kill. Garrick also put up five assists when the Gophers tried to get the Trojans out of system. Sophomore defender Jenna Adams put up nine digs and had one service ace. Senior middle blocker Jordan Dunn had four blocks (one solo) and senior opposite hitter Niki Withers added three blocks and three kills.
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For the Golden Gophers, Stephanie Samedy had 13 kills (3e, 37att, .270) with seven digs and four blocks. Alexis Hart also had 13 kills (4e, 38att, .237) with three blocks. Minnesota out-blocked USC, 11-9, and hit just a shade behind the Trojans at .221 (43k, 14e, 131att). Regan Pittman had eight kills (2e, 21att, .286) with five blocks and Molly Lohman added six kills (0e, 15att, .400) with six blocks.
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In a match-up of service strategy, the Gophers came out and put their velocity on display to jump out to an early 4-1 lead as Pittman earned a kill on the joust. Once the Trojans settled in, Botkin's tool-shot kill tied the score at five before Withers and Geiger combined for the block to complete a 6-0 run for a 9-5 lead. The four-point advantage wasn't nearly enough to put the Gophers away as they fought back to tie the score for a sixth time at 15-all on a Samedy kill. USC went in front by three several times and had a 20-17 lead on Geiger's ace and a 22-19 lead on another Botkin kill. Three straight Minnesota points pulled the teams into a seventh tie at 22-all before Lanier scored back-to-back kills for set point and Abercrombie sent a shot down the line to sew up a 25-23 win.
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More of the same in the second frame produced 17 ties and six lead changes. Lanier's ace pushed the Trojans in front first at 4-2, and it was her kill to top off back-to-back kills from Geiger that earned USC a 12-9 lead. Minnesota earned its first lead of the set at 16-15, but USC turned the tables to lead by two when Abercrombie went off the block for a kill at 20-18. Geiger and Withers teamed up for another block and then Lanier tipped a shot down for set point at 24-22, but that's when things got heated. The Gophers scored the next three for set point at 25-24, but the Trojans took set point two times at 26-25 and 27-26, each time on kills by Botkin. Lanier ended things with her crosscourt-kill for 28-26 and a 2-0 lead in the match.
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The final frame was an entirely different story as the Trojans rolled out to an early 4-1 lead on a block by Abercrombie and Geiger and never looked back en route to a 25-16 victory. The lead floated around five points as USC went ahead, 14-9, on a kill by Abercrombie, but ballooned to eight at 23-15 on Adams' service ace and Lanier's crosscourt kill. Lanier's next kill gave USC match point. Lohman saved one point with her kill, but Abercrombie sent the Gophers packing on her final termination of the evening. USC hit .314 in the third set (17k, 6e, 35att) and out-distanced the Minnesota attack, which had a .094 outing (9k, 6e, 32att).
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USC faces No. 2-seeded and No. 3-ranked host Florida (28-1) in the regional championship match on Saturday (Dec. 9) at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT). The match will be shown live on ESPNU from the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The winner advances into the national semifinal round. USC is 5-3 all-time against the Gators but has lost each of the last two meetings. Most recently, Florida defeated the Trojans in three sets in 2014 at Galen Center. USC has only faced the Gators once in Gainesville: a 3-1 loss in 1998. Between 2000 and 2003, USC defeated Florida five times.
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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.
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MATCH NOTES
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The win propels the Women of Troy into the program's 12th all-time NCAA regional title match since the tournament bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1998. It is the 11th time that 17th-year head coach Mick Haley has led the Trojans to a regional final and the sixth time in the last eight seasons.
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In her first postseason start as a Trojan, senior middle blocker Danielle Geiger was a major catalyst as she notched four kills (1e, 7att, .429) to go with five blocks (one solo) and a service ace.
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Despite a slow start, sophomore outside hitter Khalia Lanier got going and produced her fourth-consecutive 20-plus kill performance to power the Trojan offense. Lanier tallied 22.5 points by adding two service aces and a block assist. Freshman outside hitter Brooke Botkin collected 14 kills (3e, 32att) and hit .344 with six digs and a block.
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On the other end of the tape, senior opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie posted 11 kills (5e, 21att, .286) with two blocks. Collectively, the Trojans hit .256 (54k, 20e, 133att) in the match and got 27 assists and nine digs from senior setter Reni Meyer-Whalley. Sophomore setter Cindy Marina dished out 17 assists and had four digs to go with one of USC's six service aces. The Trojans' tough serving kept the Gophers at bay as USC earned those aces against just one error. Minnesota had four service errors and no aces.
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Junior libero Victoria Garrick led all players with 20 digs and scored two points; once with an ace and once with a down-ball kill. Garrick also put up five assists when the Gophers tried to get the Trojans out of system. Sophomore defender Jenna Adams put up nine digs and had one service ace. Senior middle blocker Jordan Dunn had four blocks (one solo) and senior opposite hitter Niki Withers added three blocks and three kills.
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For the Golden Gophers, Stephanie Samedy had 13 kills (3e, 37att, .270) with seven digs and four blocks. Alexis Hart also had 13 kills (4e, 38att, .237) with three blocks. Minnesota out-blocked USC, 11-9, and hit just a shade behind the Trojans at .221 (43k, 14e, 131att). Regan Pittman had eight kills (2e, 21att, .286) with five blocks and Molly Lohman added six kills (0e, 15att, .400) with six blocks.
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In a match-up of service strategy, the Gophers came out and put their velocity on display to jump out to an early 4-1 lead as Pittman earned a kill on the joust. Once the Trojans settled in, Botkin's tool-shot kill tied the score at five before Withers and Geiger combined for the block to complete a 6-0 run for a 9-5 lead. The four-point advantage wasn't nearly enough to put the Gophers away as they fought back to tie the score for a sixth time at 15-all on a Samedy kill. USC went in front by three several times and had a 20-17 lead on Geiger's ace and a 22-19 lead on another Botkin kill. Three straight Minnesota points pulled the teams into a seventh tie at 22-all before Lanier scored back-to-back kills for set point and Abercrombie sent a shot down the line to sew up a 25-23 win.
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More of the same in the second frame produced 17 ties and six lead changes. Lanier's ace pushed the Trojans in front first at 4-2, and it was her kill to top off back-to-back kills from Geiger that earned USC a 12-9 lead. Minnesota earned its first lead of the set at 16-15, but USC turned the tables to lead by two when Abercrombie went off the block for a kill at 20-18. Geiger and Withers teamed up for another block and then Lanier tipped a shot down for set point at 24-22, but that's when things got heated. The Gophers scored the next three for set point at 25-24, but the Trojans took set point two times at 26-25 and 27-26, each time on kills by Botkin. Lanier ended things with her crosscourt-kill for 28-26 and a 2-0 lead in the match.
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The final frame was an entirely different story as the Trojans rolled out to an early 4-1 lead on a block by Abercrombie and Geiger and never looked back en route to a 25-16 victory. The lead floated around five points as USC went ahead, 14-9, on a kill by Abercrombie, but ballooned to eight at 23-15 on Adams' service ace and Lanier's crosscourt kill. Lanier's next kill gave USC match point. Lohman saved one point with her kill, but Abercrombie sent the Gophers packing on her final termination of the evening. USC hit .314 in the third set (17k, 6e, 35att) and out-distanced the Minnesota attack, which had a .094 outing (9k, 6e, 32att).
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USC faces No. 2-seeded and No. 3-ranked host Florida (28-1) in the regional championship match on Saturday (Dec. 9) at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT). The match will be shown live on ESPNU from the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The winner advances into the national semifinal round. USC is 5-3 all-time against the Gators but has lost each of the last two meetings. Most recently, Florida defeated the Trojans in three sets in 2014 at Galen Center. USC has only faced the Gators once in Gainesville: a 3-1 loss in 1998. Between 2000 and 2003, USC defeated Florida five times.
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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.
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MATCH NOTES
- USC improves to 4-2-1 in all-time matches against Minnesota and has won each of the last two meetings in neutral locations (2011 at University Park, Pa.).
- The Women of Troy advance to the NCAA regional championship match for the 12th time since the tournament bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1998. It is the 11th time under the direction of 17th-year head coach Mick Haley; now six times in the previous eight seasons.
- USC improved to 49-14 (.778) in all-time NCAA tournament matches under Haley. The Trojans also improved to 79-31 (.718) in all-time NCAA matches.
- The Trojans improved to 6-2 in all-time matches played in the Sunshine State.
- USC earned its seventh 3-0 sweep over an opponent this season.
- The Women of Troy registered their 10th win over a ranked opponent this year: No. 6 Washington, at No. 7 Creighton, vs. No. 8 Minnesota, No. 9 San Diego, at No. 11 UCLA, at No. 12 Utah, No. 15 Utah, No. 16 Michigan, at No. 24 Oregon, and No. 25 Colorado. It is the third time USC has swept a higher-ranked opponent.
- So. OH Khalia Lanier scored 20 kills or more in her fourth consecutive match.
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