Saturday, December 9
Gainesville, FL
3:00 PM
USC
25-10
2
at
3
Florida
29-1
1
2
3
4
5
F
USC
23
25
25
24
11
2
Florida
25
20
18
26
15
3
Team Stats
USC
UF
Kills
68
62
Errors
26
14
Attempts
186
173
Hitting %
.226
.277
Points
86.0
76.0
Assists
64
61
Aces
11
2
Blocks
7.0
12.0
Game Leaders
Kills
26
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's VolleyballPhoto by: Matt Pendleton
USC’s Season Ends on Five-Set Loss to No. 3 Florida
December 09, 2017 | Women's Volleyball, Features
The Women of Troy had their run in the NCAA tournament cut short in the regional title match
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 10th-seeded and 14th-ranked USC women's volleyball team (25-10) suffered a five-set loss (25-23, 20-25, 18-25, 26-24, 15-11) to No. 2 seed Florida (29-1) and was eliminated in the regional final of the 2017 NCAA Division I Championship in Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Saturday, Dec. 9. The Gators advanced to their eighth all-time NCAA national semifinal with the victory.
The Women of Troy were led by sophomore outside hitter Khalia Lanier, who tallied her fifth straight 20-kill match and finished with 26 kills (3e, 60att) and a .383 hitting percentage. Lanier also had 15 digs to log her ninth double-double of the season (25th career). Her 15th kill of the night gave her 500 this season and made her the sixth Trojan in program history to reach 500 kills in a single season. Her 24th kill made her the 17th USC player in program history to collect 1,000 career kills. Lanier also added a service ace and a block to finish with 27.5 points.
Senior opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie added 14 kills (5e, 47att, .191) with five digs and a block. Freshman outside hitter Brooke Botkin tallied 13 kills (9e, 35att) with three blocks (one solo). Senior opposite hitter Niki Withers was the fourth Trojan in double-digit kills and finished with 10 kills (6e, 31att), four digs, and a block. Botkin and Lanier were each chosen to the NCAA regional all-tournament team.
In the middle, senior Jordan Dunn scored three kills and had two blocks. Senior Danielle Geiger had two kills and four blocks (one solo). Senior setter Reni Meyer-Whalley dished out 32 assists and had a season-high 21 digs for her 12th double-double this season (21st career). Meyer-Whalley also served a career-high four aces in the match. Sophomore setter Cindy Marina totaled 24 assists, nine digs, and a pair of service aces.
Defensively, junior libero Victoria Garrick had 22 digs, seven assists, and two aces. Garrick's third dig of the match made her just the sixth Trojan ever to produce 500 digs in a single season. Sophomore defender Jenna Adams picked up eight digs and also had two service aces. As a team, the Trojans served 11 aces and dug up 86 balls in the match.
For the Gators, four players scored double-digit kills led by Rhamat Alhassan who had 14 kills to go with six blocks for 17.0 points. Shainah Joseph had 15 kills with four digs and two blocks. Carli Snyder had the double-double with 11 kills and 18 digs to go with five blocks and one of two Gator service aces. Rachel Kramer had 11 kills and four blocks. Caroline Knop led all players with 23 digs and Allie Monserez tallied a double-double with 34 assists and 11 digs.
The first set was tied 17 times before Florida scored the final two points to win, 25-23. The Gators led by two at 12-10, but fell back into a tie when Lanier tooled the block for a kill and Mia Sokolowski went long. The Trojans led by two at 16-14 following a 3-0 run with kills by Lanier and Botkin and a service ace by Meyer-Whalley, but consecutive errors put Florida back in front. The Gators went ahead by two again at 22-20 on a Sokolowski kill, but Botkin went down the line for a kill and then Meyer-Whalley served a second ace for the 23-all tie. USC hit .225 in the opening frame with 15 kills (6e, 40att) and the Gators had a .310 hitting rate with 17 kills (4e, 42att).
The Gator block came to life to score four blocks in the second set. Three straight points put Florida on top, 7-4, but the Trojans went on a 4-0 run to turn the tables on a Botkin crosscourt kill. The Women of Troy continued to roll and went on top by as many as seven at 17-10 powered by a 5-0 run that included two kills by Lanier and a service ace by Marina. The Gators mounted their comeback and pulled within three at 22-19, but Abercrombie got up for two kills to give USC set point at 24-20 before Marina served a second ace for the 25-20 Trojan win. Florida hit .312 in the second (11k, 1e, 32att) to outpace the Trojans' .263 (17k, 7e, 38att) but were undone by USC's tough serves. The Trojans scored two aces and had no reception errors. Florida had four service errors and was aced twice.
The Trojans sent in a depth charge with Botkin scoring three points as part of a 5-0 run to lead, 10-5, in the third. Botkin had two kills and a solo block while Meyer-Whalley threw in her third ace. USC went up by six points at 17-11 when Lanier and Withers scored on back-to-back rallies. Florida went point-for-point with the Women of Troy for several rallies but still trailed by seven at 22-15 when Lanier bounced a shot for her 13th kill. Geiger went up to deny a point-blank attack by Kramer, but Sokolowski scored back-to-back kills to save set points before Abercrombie's cut-shot kill sealed a 25-18 win for USC.
The Women of Troy had their chances in the fourth and led by as many as three points at 21-18 when Lanier and Geiger teamed to stop Alhassan. But the Gators wouldn't go quietly as Snyder and setter Cheyenne Huskey put together a 3-0 run for Florida. USC took set point at 24-23 on a tool-shot kill by Withers, but the Gators scored the final three points with two kills by Joseph and a block. Florida hit at an astronomical .400 rate in the fourth frame and had 17 kills with just one error on 40 swings. USC hit .235 and scored 17 kills (5e, 51att).
USC scored the first three points of the fifth set to put the Gators on the ropes. Lanier opened with back-to-back crosscourt kills before Adams served up an ace. Lanier went down the line and then Withers crushed an overpass for a 6-3 lead before back-to-back Lanier kills put USC on top, 8-4. From there, the Gators mounted their comeback and outscored the Trojans, 11-3, to finish the match. Florida's first big run put it on top, 11-9, but a block by Dunn and Botkin followed by another Meyer-Whalley ace pulled the teams into an 11-all tie. Tough serving from Snyder propelled Florida to victory as it forced USC into two errors before Joseph let loose for the final kill of the 15-11 win.
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
The Women of Troy were led by sophomore outside hitter Khalia Lanier, who tallied her fifth straight 20-kill match and finished with 26 kills (3e, 60att) and a .383 hitting percentage. Lanier also had 15 digs to log her ninth double-double of the season (25th career). Her 15th kill of the night gave her 500 this season and made her the sixth Trojan in program history to reach 500 kills in a single season. Her 24th kill made her the 17th USC player in program history to collect 1,000 career kills. Lanier also added a service ace and a block to finish with 27.5 points.
Senior opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie added 14 kills (5e, 47att, .191) with five digs and a block. Freshman outside hitter Brooke Botkin tallied 13 kills (9e, 35att) with three blocks (one solo). Senior opposite hitter Niki Withers was the fourth Trojan in double-digit kills and finished with 10 kills (6e, 31att), four digs, and a block. Botkin and Lanier were each chosen to the NCAA regional all-tournament team.
In the middle, senior Jordan Dunn scored three kills and had two blocks. Senior Danielle Geiger had two kills and four blocks (one solo). Senior setter Reni Meyer-Whalley dished out 32 assists and had a season-high 21 digs for her 12th double-double this season (21st career). Meyer-Whalley also served a career-high four aces in the match. Sophomore setter Cindy Marina totaled 24 assists, nine digs, and a pair of service aces.
Defensively, junior libero Victoria Garrick had 22 digs, seven assists, and two aces. Garrick's third dig of the match made her just the sixth Trojan ever to produce 500 digs in a single season. Sophomore defender Jenna Adams picked up eight digs and also had two service aces. As a team, the Trojans served 11 aces and dug up 86 balls in the match.
For the Gators, four players scored double-digit kills led by Rhamat Alhassan who had 14 kills to go with six blocks for 17.0 points. Shainah Joseph had 15 kills with four digs and two blocks. Carli Snyder had the double-double with 11 kills and 18 digs to go with five blocks and one of two Gator service aces. Rachel Kramer had 11 kills and four blocks. Caroline Knop led all players with 23 digs and Allie Monserez tallied a double-double with 34 assists and 11 digs.
The first set was tied 17 times before Florida scored the final two points to win, 25-23. The Gators led by two at 12-10, but fell back into a tie when Lanier tooled the block for a kill and Mia Sokolowski went long. The Trojans led by two at 16-14 following a 3-0 run with kills by Lanier and Botkin and a service ace by Meyer-Whalley, but consecutive errors put Florida back in front. The Gators went ahead by two again at 22-20 on a Sokolowski kill, but Botkin went down the line for a kill and then Meyer-Whalley served a second ace for the 23-all tie. USC hit .225 in the opening frame with 15 kills (6e, 40att) and the Gators had a .310 hitting rate with 17 kills (4e, 42att).
The Gator block came to life to score four blocks in the second set. Three straight points put Florida on top, 7-4, but the Trojans went on a 4-0 run to turn the tables on a Botkin crosscourt kill. The Women of Troy continued to roll and went on top by as many as seven at 17-10 powered by a 5-0 run that included two kills by Lanier and a service ace by Marina. The Gators mounted their comeback and pulled within three at 22-19, but Abercrombie got up for two kills to give USC set point at 24-20 before Marina served a second ace for the 25-20 Trojan win. Florida hit .312 in the second (11k, 1e, 32att) to outpace the Trojans' .263 (17k, 7e, 38att) but were undone by USC's tough serves. The Trojans scored two aces and had no reception errors. Florida had four service errors and was aced twice.
The Trojans sent in a depth charge with Botkin scoring three points as part of a 5-0 run to lead, 10-5, in the third. Botkin had two kills and a solo block while Meyer-Whalley threw in her third ace. USC went up by six points at 17-11 when Lanier and Withers scored on back-to-back rallies. Florida went point-for-point with the Women of Troy for several rallies but still trailed by seven at 22-15 when Lanier bounced a shot for her 13th kill. Geiger went up to deny a point-blank attack by Kramer, but Sokolowski scored back-to-back kills to save set points before Abercrombie's cut-shot kill sealed a 25-18 win for USC.
The Women of Troy had their chances in the fourth and led by as many as three points at 21-18 when Lanier and Geiger teamed to stop Alhassan. But the Gators wouldn't go quietly as Snyder and setter Cheyenne Huskey put together a 3-0 run for Florida. USC took set point at 24-23 on a tool-shot kill by Withers, but the Gators scored the final three points with two kills by Joseph and a block. Florida hit at an astronomical .400 rate in the fourth frame and had 17 kills with just one error on 40 swings. USC hit .235 and scored 17 kills (5e, 51att).
USC scored the first three points of the fifth set to put the Gators on the ropes. Lanier opened with back-to-back crosscourt kills before Adams served up an ace. Lanier went down the line and then Withers crushed an overpass for a 6-3 lead before back-to-back Lanier kills put USC on top, 8-4. From there, the Gators mounted their comeback and outscored the Trojans, 11-3, to finish the match. Florida's first big run put it on top, 11-9, but a block by Dunn and Botkin followed by another Meyer-Whalley ace pulled the teams into an 11-all tie. Tough serving from Snyder propelled Florida to victory as it forced USC into two errors before Joseph let loose for the final kill of the 15-11 win.
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 5-4 all-time against Florida and has lost three straight to the Gators in the all-time series.
- The Gators advanced to the NCAA national semifinal for the eighth time.
- The Trojans were playing in their sixth NCAA regional final in the last eight seasons.
- USC fell to 49-15 (.766) in all-time NCAA tournament matches under 17th-year head coach Mick Haley. The Trojans dropped to 79-32 (.712) in all-time NCAA tournament matches.
- The Trojans move to 6-3 in all-time matches played in the Sunshine State.
- So. OH Khalia Lanier logged her fifth straight match with at least 20 kills.
- Lanier tallied 26 kills and had 15 digs for her ninth double-double of the season and the 25th of her career.
- Lanier's 15th kill of the match made her just the sixth Woman of Troy to score at least 500 kills in a single season. She joins Samantha Bricio, Alex Jupiter, Bibiana Candelas, Asia Kaczor, and Jennifer Kessy. Lanier finished the season with 511 kills to rank ninth in USC single-season history.
- Lanier also finished the season with 1,315 attacks, which ranks sixth in USC single-season history. Her final total of 578.5 points is eighth all-time in a single season at USC.
- Lanier's 24th kill of the match was her 1,000th-career kill and made her just the 17th player in program history to cross the 1,000-kill plateau. She is also only the second player in USC to collect 1,000 kills in her first two seasons. The other was Asia Kaczor (2006-07) who was a junior and senior in those two seasons.
- Jr. L Victoria Garrick's third dig of the match made her just the sixth Trojan to record at least 500 digs in a single season. She joins Debora Seilhamer, Natalie Hagglund, Taylor Whittingham, Alli Hillgren, and Katie Haller. Garrick's final season tally of 519 digs ranks 10th in the program's single-season record books.
- Sr. S Reni Meyer-Whalley put together her 12th double-double of the season with 32 assists and a season-high 21 digs. It is her 21st-career double-double. Meyer-Whalley also served a career-best four aces.
- Fr. OPP Brooke Botkin and Lanier were each named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team.
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