Bricio and Ogoms Set to Compete at FIVB Women’s World Championship
September 28, 2018 | Women's Volleyball, Features
The two USC volleyball All-Americans will represent Mexico and Canada in the championship
LOS ANGELES – USC women's volleyball All-Americans Samantha Bricio (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico) and Alicia Ogoms (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) will represent their respective native nations of Mexico and Canada in the upcoming FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball) Women's World Championship in Japan.
Bricio, a dominant outside hitter for the Women of Troy is one of Mexico's top wing-attackers. Mexico is the 26th-ranked nation in the latest FIVB world rankings and will face 18th-ranked Cameroon in the tournament's opening match in Yokohama. A steady middle blocker during her career with the Trojans, Ogoms and 19th-ranked Canada take on 12th-ranked Turkey in Sapporo in their first match. Both matches are set to be played on Saturday, Sept. 29 (local to Japan).
The second-ranked U.S. women's national team is the defending world champion; a title Team USA claimed at the 2014 championship in Italy. The Americans open their title defense against 24th-ranked Azerbaijan in Kobe. China holds the world's No. 1 ranking entering the championship.
Japan will host the quadrennial Women's World Championship from Sept. 29 to Oct. 20. The 18th edition of the tournament, which began in 1952, will take place in various cities throughout the country including Kobe, Sapporo, Hamamatsu, Osaka, Nagoya, and Yokohama; the site of the finals. A total of 24 teams will compete for the title. The qualification process started in May 2016 and lasted through October 2017.
The competition features five teams from Asia (including host Japan), two from Africa, eight from Europe, two from South America, and seven from the North, Central America and Caribbean Confederation (NORCECA). The participating teams will compete against each other in 103 matches that will take place over 15 days.
Four pools of six will play a round-robin system with the top four teams in each pool advancing to the second round. The 16 teams in the second round will be split into two pools of eight. Then, the top three teams in each of the two second-round pools shall advance to the third round. The finals consist of a round-robin system with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the semifinals.
Bricio is only the seventh USC player ever to receive AVCA All-America honors three times in her career. She was named the 2015 AVCA National Player of the Year, the Pac-12 Player of the Year and became just the third Trojan to receive AVCA all-region honors four times in her career to join April Ross (2000-03) and Jasmina Marinkovic (1995-98). She was also chosen for espnW National Player of the Year and led the NCAA in points (803.0), points per set (6.18 pps), services aces (89), and aces per set (0.68 saps) during her final season at Troy. She completed her time at USC as the program's career record holder for kills (2,095), attacks (5,499), service aces (301), and points (2,546.5); fifth in Pac-12 history for kills and third for attacks. In 2015, she set new single-season USC records for kills (668), attacks (1,615), aces (89), and points. Bricio was a four-time Pac-12 All-Conference selection (18th player in league history) and was chosen for a league-record six Pac-12 Player of the Week awards in one season.
In addition to All-America honors, Ogoms received Pac-12 All-Conference and AVCA All-Region Team selections as a senior. Ogoms set the USC single-season record for blocks (183) in 2015 and finished her career in 11th on the program's career blocks ladder (381). As a senior, Ogoms led the Pac-12 in blocks and blocks per set (1.44 bps), and was second in hitting percentage (.413) with a career-high 255 kills (49e, 499att).
"Being at USC taught me how to deal with pressure and big games," said Bricio. "Playing at a school such as USC makes everyone want to beat you, so everyone will play their best against us. It's something that taught me how to stay calm in matches. One of the things I'm looking forward to in Japan is seeing friends. Playing in college and professionally, I've had the opportunity to make friends from different countries and this tournament gives me the chance to see a lot of them. One of my closest friends is Alicia Ogoms. I played with her in college and against her professionally in Italy. After the championship, I have the opportunity to go to Istanbul, which has one of the best and strongest leagues in Europe where I'll be part of one of the biggest clubs, Fenerbahce."
"Playing at USC helped me prepare me for international play by teaching me how to be a better athlete," said Ogoms. "At USC, I learned how to train, eat, and compete at a high level, while balancing my courses. Now that I've graduated, I manage my time much more efficiently and have the self-discipline to focus more on volleyball. I'm really excited to be in Japan for the championships. This tournament only happens once every four years and it's a huge honor to represent my country. I'm also looking forward to experiencing the Japanese culture and trying all the food. After the tourney, I'm going to take the next couple months off to train and rehab in Canada. I'm hoping to get a half-season contract in January."
For more information on the FIVB Women's World Championship, please visit japan2018.fivb.org. For more information on the USC women's volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; and purchase season and single-match tickets at USCTrojans.com/tickets.
Bricio, a dominant outside hitter for the Women of Troy is one of Mexico's top wing-attackers. Mexico is the 26th-ranked nation in the latest FIVB world rankings and will face 18th-ranked Cameroon in the tournament's opening match in Yokohama. A steady middle blocker during her career with the Trojans, Ogoms and 19th-ranked Canada take on 12th-ranked Turkey in Sapporo in their first match. Both matches are set to be played on Saturday, Sept. 29 (local to Japan).
The second-ranked U.S. women's national team is the defending world champion; a title Team USA claimed at the 2014 championship in Italy. The Americans open their title defense against 24th-ranked Azerbaijan in Kobe. China holds the world's No. 1 ranking entering the championship.
Japan will host the quadrennial Women's World Championship from Sept. 29 to Oct. 20. The 18th edition of the tournament, which began in 1952, will take place in various cities throughout the country including Kobe, Sapporo, Hamamatsu, Osaka, Nagoya, and Yokohama; the site of the finals. A total of 24 teams will compete for the title. The qualification process started in May 2016 and lasted through October 2017.
The competition features five teams from Asia (including host Japan), two from Africa, eight from Europe, two from South America, and seven from the North, Central America and Caribbean Confederation (NORCECA). The participating teams will compete against each other in 103 matches that will take place over 15 days.
Four pools of six will play a round-robin system with the top four teams in each pool advancing to the second round. The 16 teams in the second round will be split into two pools of eight. Then, the top three teams in each of the two second-round pools shall advance to the third round. The finals consist of a round-robin system with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the semifinals.
Bricio is only the seventh USC player ever to receive AVCA All-America honors three times in her career. She was named the 2015 AVCA National Player of the Year, the Pac-12 Player of the Year and became just the third Trojan to receive AVCA all-region honors four times in her career to join April Ross (2000-03) and Jasmina Marinkovic (1995-98). She was also chosen for espnW National Player of the Year and led the NCAA in points (803.0), points per set (6.18 pps), services aces (89), and aces per set (0.68 saps) during her final season at Troy. She completed her time at USC as the program's career record holder for kills (2,095), attacks (5,499), service aces (301), and points (2,546.5); fifth in Pac-12 history for kills and third for attacks. In 2015, she set new single-season USC records for kills (668), attacks (1,615), aces (89), and points. Bricio was a four-time Pac-12 All-Conference selection (18th player in league history) and was chosen for a league-record six Pac-12 Player of the Week awards in one season.
In addition to All-America honors, Ogoms received Pac-12 All-Conference and AVCA All-Region Team selections as a senior. Ogoms set the USC single-season record for blocks (183) in 2015 and finished her career in 11th on the program's career blocks ladder (381). As a senior, Ogoms led the Pac-12 in blocks and blocks per set (1.44 bps), and was second in hitting percentage (.413) with a career-high 255 kills (49e, 499att).
"Being at USC taught me how to deal with pressure and big games," said Bricio. "Playing at a school such as USC makes everyone want to beat you, so everyone will play their best against us. It's something that taught me how to stay calm in matches. One of the things I'm looking forward to in Japan is seeing friends. Playing in college and professionally, I've had the opportunity to make friends from different countries and this tournament gives me the chance to see a lot of them. One of my closest friends is Alicia Ogoms. I played with her in college and against her professionally in Italy. After the championship, I have the opportunity to go to Istanbul, which has one of the best and strongest leagues in Europe where I'll be part of one of the biggest clubs, Fenerbahce."
"Playing at USC helped me prepare me for international play by teaching me how to be a better athlete," said Ogoms. "At USC, I learned how to train, eat, and compete at a high level, while balancing my courses. Now that I've graduated, I manage my time much more efficiently and have the self-discipline to focus more on volleyball. I'm really excited to be in Japan for the championships. This tournament only happens once every four years and it's a huge honor to represent my country. I'm also looking forward to experiencing the Japanese culture and trying all the food. After the tourney, I'm going to take the next couple months off to train and rehab in Canada. I'm hoping to get a half-season contract in January."
For more information on the FIVB Women's World Championship, please visit japan2018.fivb.org. For more information on the USC women's volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; and purchase season and single-match tickets at USCTrojans.com/tickets.
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