University Southern California Trojans
Friday, September 14
San Diego, Calif.
12:00 PM
USC
vs
Louisiana vs. USC
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
Photo by: Jon Kondrath
No. 16 USC Heads South For SDSU/USD Challenge
September 12, 2018 | Women's Volleyball, Features
The Women of Troy will play their seventh and eighth straight matches away from home.
LOS ANGELES – The 16th-ranked USC women's volleyball team (6-3) is on the road for a third consecutive weekend and will play its seventh and eighth straight matches away from home when the Trojans take on Louisiana (7-4) and No. 23 San Diego (2-4) in the SDSU/USD Challenge at Jenny Craig Pavilion on Friday, Sept. 14, in San Diego. While the Women of Troy meet the Ragin' Cajuns for the first time, their meeting with the Toreros makes USD the sixth ranked opponent on USC's non-conference schedule.
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The last time USC made a trip into San Diego, it was for the 2015 NCAA regional championship. Seeded No. 1 in the field, the Trojans got through Creighton in the regional semifinal but were upset by Kansas in five sets in the championship match. The Women of Troy are 11-1 all-time against USD but suffered their only loss to the Toreros in their only meeting at Jenny Craig Pavilion in 2013.
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2018 SDSU/USD CHALLENGE
JENNY CRAIG PAVILION • SAN DIEGO, CALIF.
Hosted by San Diego State and Univ. of San Diego
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MATCH #10
No. 16 USC (6-3) vs. Louisiana (7-4)
Friday, Sept. 14 • 12 p.m. PT
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
STREAM: theW.tv
OPPONENT WEBSITE: RaginCajuns.com
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MATCH #11
No. 16 USC (6-3) at No. 23 San Diego (2-4)
Friday, Sept. 14 • 6 p.m. PT
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 11-1 (.917)
LAST MEETING: W, 3-2 (Dec. 2, 2017 • Galen Center)
CURRENT STREAK: Won 2 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 9-1
STREAM: theW.tv
OPPONENT WEBSITE: USDToreros.com
FIRST SERVE
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USC IN BRIEF: The Women of Troy have one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation. USC has faced teams ranked No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5. The Trojans earned wins over fourth-ranked Florida on the road and took down fifth-ranked Kentucky at home but dropped a three-set decision to No. 3 BYU last weekend. First-year head coach Brent Crouch has also guided the Trojans to wins over No. 13 Creighton; and over UNI and Louisville which each sit just outside the top 25. USC boasts a formidable offense with All-American OH Khalia Lanier leading the charge (3.83 kps). She is joined on the pins by sophomore standout Brooke Botkin (4.44 kps) and junior transfer Emily Baptista (2.78 kps). Freshman setter Raquel Lázaro earned back-to-back Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors in her first two weekends and leads the league in total assists (395). On defense, the Women of Troy turn to senior libero Victoria Garrick (4.56 dps); one of just 17 Trojans ever to collect over 1,000 career digs.
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LAST TIME OUT: USC's treacherous schedule caught up with the Trojans as they fell in back-to-back same-day matches at the Marquette Invitational. The Women of Troy dropped a hard-fought first set, 30-28, to third-ranked BYU and then suffered a 3-0 sweep at the hands of the Cougars. Later in the evening, the Trojans earned a big 33-31 win in the fourth against No. 25 Marquette to force a fifth set but couldn't defeat the host Eagles. Things looked dicey for USC as it fell behind, 2-0, to Syracuse in their final match at the tourney, but the Trojans fought back to earn a five-set win over the Orange. It was the team's first five-set win after falling behind, 2-0, since the end of the 2016 season. Junior MB Jasmine Gross was chosen to the all-tournament team.
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AVCA POLL POSITION: The Trojans opened 2018 ranked No. 10 after finishing the 2017 campaign in the No. 7 spot. Overall, the Trojans have appeared in the poll 500 times and have held a spot among the poll's top 10 teams 316 times, which ranks seventh all-time. The Trojans have also held the No. 1 ranking 47 times previously, which is sixth all-time.
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PAC-12 POW(ER)S: USC players have received Pac-12 Player of the Week honors 75 times (third most among league teams). Since 2011, when the Pac-12 began honoring separate offensive and defensive players of the week and named a freshman of the week, Trojans have earned 19 offensive awards, 10 defensive awards, and taken home 16 freshman honors. In the first week of the 2018 season, sophomore OH Brooke Botkin received her first-career league honor as the Offensive Player of the Week and freshman setter Raquel Lázaro was chosen for Freshman of the Week honors. Lázaro repeated as the Freshman of the Week in week two.
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DOUBLE DOWN: Eight Trojans on this year's squad have recorded career double-doubles. Junior OH Khalia Lanier has five this season and leads all players with 30-career double-doubles. Sophomore OH Brooke Botkin has recorded four double-doubles in 2018 and has five-career double-double matches. Freshman setter Raquel Lázaro logged her first-career double-double with 53 assists and 22 digs against Creighton and has three-career double-doubles.
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CROUCHING TIGER: First-year USC head coach Brent Crouch led the Trojans to a win over No. 5-ranked Kentucky in his first match at the helm (Aug. 24). In his previous position as Portland's head coach, he led the Pilots to their first-ever wins over ranked opponents including the very first over San Diego (Nov. 14, 2015). That USD squad coincidentally was also ranked No. 23 at the time of the match. The following year, Crouch helped UP earn its first-ever upset over a top-10 opponent on a 3-2 victory at San Diego (Nov. 10, 2016).
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ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER: USC is 13-6 all-time in the City of San Diego. However, the Trojans have found themselves on the short end of upsets in each of their last two trips. In 2013, USC was 6-0 and ranked No. 1 when it went into Jenny Craig Pavilion for the first time. Having won the previous nine meetings against USD either at home or in neutral locations, the Trojans dropped a four-set stunner to the No. 9-ranked Toreros on Sept. 13, 2013. On the back end of that season, USC advanced to the NCAA regional championship match at Galen Center. In 2015, despite being ranked No. 2 in the AVCA poll, with a 30-2 regular-season record, the Trojans held the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Ironically, USC defeated San Diego at home in the second round and moved into the regional championship held at Jenny Craig Pavilion. There, the Trojans took down Creighton in the semifinal but suffered a five-set upset loss to eighth-seeded Kansas in the championship match to end the season.
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The last time USC made a trip into San Diego, it was for the 2015 NCAA regional championship. Seeded No. 1 in the field, the Trojans got through Creighton in the regional semifinal but were upset by Kansas in five sets in the championship match. The Women of Troy are 11-1 all-time against USD but suffered their only loss to the Toreros in their only meeting at Jenny Craig Pavilion in 2013.
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2018 SDSU/USD CHALLENGE
JENNY CRAIG PAVILION • SAN DIEGO, CALIF.
Hosted by San Diego State and Univ. of San Diego
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MATCH #10
No. 16 USC (6-3) vs. Louisiana (7-4)
Friday, Sept. 14 • 12 p.m. PT
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
STREAM: theW.tv
OPPONENT WEBSITE: RaginCajuns.com
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MATCH #11
No. 16 USC (6-3) at No. 23 San Diego (2-4)
Friday, Sept. 14 • 6 p.m. PT
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 11-1 (.917)
LAST MEETING: W, 3-2 (Dec. 2, 2017 • Galen Center)
CURRENT STREAK: Won 2 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 9-1
STREAM: theW.tv
OPPONENT WEBSITE: USDToreros.com
FIRST SERVE
- USC is ranked No. 16 in the AVCA poll and faces its sixth ranked opponent of the season (No. 23 San Diego).
- The Trojans and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns meet for the first time.
- This USC-USD matchup is the 13th in the teams' histories. The Trojans are 11-0 in all meetings outside of San Diego. The Toreros won, 3-1, in 2013.
- The Trojans play their seventh and eighth straight matches away from home.
- USC is 13-6 all-time in matches played in the City of San Diego.
- The last time USC traveled to San Diego, the top-seeded Trojans defeated Creighton in the 2015 NCAA regional semifinals before falling to Kansas in the regional title match at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
- USC is led by So. OH Brooke Botkin and Jr. All-American OH Khalia Lanier. Fr. setter Raquel Lázaro runs the Trojan offense.
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USC IN BRIEF: The Women of Troy have one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation. USC has faced teams ranked No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5. The Trojans earned wins over fourth-ranked Florida on the road and took down fifth-ranked Kentucky at home but dropped a three-set decision to No. 3 BYU last weekend. First-year head coach Brent Crouch has also guided the Trojans to wins over No. 13 Creighton; and over UNI and Louisville which each sit just outside the top 25. USC boasts a formidable offense with All-American OH Khalia Lanier leading the charge (3.83 kps). She is joined on the pins by sophomore standout Brooke Botkin (4.44 kps) and junior transfer Emily Baptista (2.78 kps). Freshman setter Raquel Lázaro earned back-to-back Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors in her first two weekends and leads the league in total assists (395). On defense, the Women of Troy turn to senior libero Victoria Garrick (4.56 dps); one of just 17 Trojans ever to collect over 1,000 career digs.
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LAST TIME OUT: USC's treacherous schedule caught up with the Trojans as they fell in back-to-back same-day matches at the Marquette Invitational. The Women of Troy dropped a hard-fought first set, 30-28, to third-ranked BYU and then suffered a 3-0 sweep at the hands of the Cougars. Later in the evening, the Trojans earned a big 33-31 win in the fourth against No. 25 Marquette to force a fifth set but couldn't defeat the host Eagles. Things looked dicey for USC as it fell behind, 2-0, to Syracuse in their final match at the tourney, but the Trojans fought back to earn a five-set win over the Orange. It was the team's first five-set win after falling behind, 2-0, since the end of the 2016 season. Junior MB Jasmine Gross was chosen to the all-tournament team.
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AVCA POLL POSITION: The Trojans opened 2018 ranked No. 10 after finishing the 2017 campaign in the No. 7 spot. Overall, the Trojans have appeared in the poll 500 times and have held a spot among the poll's top 10 teams 316 times, which ranks seventh all-time. The Trojans have also held the No. 1 ranking 47 times previously, which is sixth all-time.
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PAC-12 POW(ER)S: USC players have received Pac-12 Player of the Week honors 75 times (third most among league teams). Since 2011, when the Pac-12 began honoring separate offensive and defensive players of the week and named a freshman of the week, Trojans have earned 19 offensive awards, 10 defensive awards, and taken home 16 freshman honors. In the first week of the 2018 season, sophomore OH Brooke Botkin received her first-career league honor as the Offensive Player of the Week and freshman setter Raquel Lázaro was chosen for Freshman of the Week honors. Lázaro repeated as the Freshman of the Week in week two.
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DOUBLE DOWN: Eight Trojans on this year's squad have recorded career double-doubles. Junior OH Khalia Lanier has five this season and leads all players with 30-career double-doubles. Sophomore OH Brooke Botkin has recorded four double-doubles in 2018 and has five-career double-double matches. Freshman setter Raquel Lázaro logged her first-career double-double with 53 assists and 22 digs against Creighton and has three-career double-doubles.
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CROUCHING TIGER: First-year USC head coach Brent Crouch led the Trojans to a win over No. 5-ranked Kentucky in his first match at the helm (Aug. 24). In his previous position as Portland's head coach, he led the Pilots to their first-ever wins over ranked opponents including the very first over San Diego (Nov. 14, 2015). That USD squad coincidentally was also ranked No. 23 at the time of the match. The following year, Crouch helped UP earn its first-ever upset over a top-10 opponent on a 3-2 victory at San Diego (Nov. 10, 2016).
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ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER: USC is 13-6 all-time in the City of San Diego. However, the Trojans have found themselves on the short end of upsets in each of their last two trips. In 2013, USC was 6-0 and ranked No. 1 when it went into Jenny Craig Pavilion for the first time. Having won the previous nine meetings against USD either at home or in neutral locations, the Trojans dropped a four-set stunner to the No. 9-ranked Toreros on Sept. 13, 2013. On the back end of that season, USC advanced to the NCAA regional championship match at Galen Center. In 2015, despite being ranked No. 2 in the AVCA poll, with a 30-2 regular-season record, the Trojans held the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Ironically, USC defeated San Diego at home in the second round and moved into the regional championship held at Jenny Craig Pavilion. There, the Trojans took down Creighton in the semifinal but suffered a five-set upset loss to eighth-seeded Kansas in the championship match to end the season.
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