University Southern California Trojans
Friday, October 11
Boulder, Colo.
6:00 PM
USC
at
Colorado
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
Photo by: Katie Chin
USC Makes Mountain Trek to Face Buffs and Utes
October 09, 2019 | Women's Volleyball, Features
The Women of Troy are tied with six teams for fifth place in the Pac-12 standings
LOS ANGELES – USC women's volleyball (8-6, 2-2 Pac-12) plays its next four matches on the road and begins the stretch with a trip to the Rocky Mountains where the Women of Troy take on Colorado (8-6, 0-4) on Friday (Oct. 11) in Boulder, Colo.; and then head to Salt Lake City to face No. 18 Utah (11-4, 3-1) on Sunday (Oct. 13). USC is one of six Pac-12 teams tied for fifth in the league standings with a 2-2 record. The next four matches will begin to separate the teams as they approach the midway point of the conference season.
The Women of Troy have fielded several different lineups and rotations due to injuries and player availability but look to settle in and push for the program's ninth conference title in 2019. USC holds a .683 all-time winning percentage against Pac-12 schools (517-238-2) and last won a share of the league championship in 2015. The Trojans are led by a pair of All-American outside hitters in Khalia Lanier and Brooke Botkin. The USC offense is run by the 2018 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year setter Raquel Lázaro. Second-year head coach Brent Crouch led the Women of Troy to their 28th straight NCAA appearance last season.
Match #15 • Friday, Oct. 11 • 7 p.m. MT (6 p.m. PT)
USC (8-6, 2-2) at Colorado (8-6, 0-4)
CU Events Center • Boulder, Colo.
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 16-1 (.941) • LAST 10: 9-1
LAST MEETING: W, 3-2 (Sept. 23, 2018 • Boulder, Colo.)
WATCH: Pac-12 LA (Thad Anderson)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CUBuffs.com
Match #16 • Sunday, Oct. 13 • 12 p.m. MT (11 a.m. PT)
USC (8-6, 2-2) at No. 18 Utah (11-4, 3-1)
Jon M. Huntsman Center • Salt Lake City, Utah
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 18-4 (.818) • LAST 10: 7-3
LAST MEETING: L, 3-0 (Nov. 21, 2018 • Galen Center)
WATCH: Pac-12 LA/M (Krista Blunk)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: UtahUtes.com
FIRST SERVE
TROJAN BRIEF CASE: USC is loaded at the pins and returns a pair of All-American outside hitters in Khalia Lanier (4.07 kps) and Brooke Botkin (2.88 kps). They receive sets from the 2018 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Raquel Lázaro (10.60 aps). All four of USC's top attackers return from last season. On the right side, senior Emily Baptista (2.95 kps in 2018) is back and in the middle, senior Jasmine Gross (2.08 kps, .421) returns. Among newcomers, USC welcomes MB Madison Horin (0.82 kps, 0.92 bps), OH Kalen Owes (2.33 kps), and OPP Emilia Weske (2.20 kps) as part of a heralded freshman class. Defensively, the Trojans lean on senior libero Jenna Adams (3.16 dps) who returns this season after sitting out 2018 due to injury.
LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy split matches for the third straight weekend and started with a big win over No. 8-ranked Washington. The victory was the Trojans' first over a ranked opponent this season and the first over a top-10 team. In its next match, USC struggled out of the gate against No. 24-ranked Washington State and dropped the first to sets. After winning the third, 28-26, the Trojans cruised to a win in the fourth set to force set five. The Cougars, however, had other plans. WSU used an 8-3 run to overcome USC's 10-7 lead in the fourth and walked away with the program's first-ever win at Galen Center and the Cougars' first win over the Trojans in Los Angeles since 1998. The loss was USC's first at home this season, which drops the Trojans to 5-1 at Galen Center in 2019.
TOUGH SLEDDING: The Trojans played one of the toughest non-conference slates in the country in 2019. USC was one of 10 teams that began the season with back-to-back contests against teams that finished in the top 25 of the NCAA's final 2018 ratings percentage index (RPI). The Trojans were one of only three programs that tackled five straight teams that finished 2018 in the top 25. The other two programs were Texas and Creighton. Among the ranked opponents, USC met No. 3 Texas and No. 22 Texas State on opening weekend and then have No. 8 Kentucky, No. 13 Creighton, No. 16 Northern Iowa this week. USC itself was No. 9 in the final published RPI.
AVCA POLL POSITION: The Trojans opened 2019 ranked No. 14, but fell out of the poll on Sept. 30. It was USC's first time unranked in the poll since the 2017 preseason poll. That year, USC finished at No. 7 following a run to the NCAA's regional championship match. Overall, the Trojans have appeared in the poll 517 times, which ranks third all-time. USC has held a spot among the poll's top 10 teams 316 times, which ranks eighth all-time. The Trojans have also held the No. 1 ranking 47 times previously, which is sixth all-time.
PAC-12 POW(ER)S: USC players have received Pac-12 Player of the Week honors 76 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, 11 defensive awards, and taken home 19 freshman honors. On Sept. 16, Sr. MB Jasmine Gross was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career and OH Kalen Owes was chosen for Freshman of the Week honors.
DOUBLE DOWN: Six Women of Troy on this year's squad have recorded career double-doubles. Senior OH Khalia Lanier leads all players with 36-career double-doubles. Junior OH Brooke Botkin has 17-career double-double matches. Sophomore setter Raquel Lázaro has logged 20 double-doubles and is the owner of the first and only USC triple-double in the rally scoring era (36 assists, 16 digs, 11 blocks at Northern Iowa). Senior OPP Emily Baptista has three as a Trojan and 11-career double-doubles. Senior MB Jasmine Gross has had four. Freshman OH Kalen Owes posted her first-career double-double (18 kills, 15 digs) against Creighton on Sept. 7, and is already up to three-career double-doubles.
The Women of Troy have fielded several different lineups and rotations due to injuries and player availability but look to settle in and push for the program's ninth conference title in 2019. USC holds a .683 all-time winning percentage against Pac-12 schools (517-238-2) and last won a share of the league championship in 2015. The Trojans are led by a pair of All-American outside hitters in Khalia Lanier and Brooke Botkin. The USC offense is run by the 2018 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year setter Raquel Lázaro. Second-year head coach Brent Crouch led the Women of Troy to their 28th straight NCAA appearance last season.
Match #15 • Friday, Oct. 11 • 7 p.m. MT (6 p.m. PT)
USC (8-6, 2-2) at Colorado (8-6, 0-4)
CU Events Center • Boulder, Colo.
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 16-1 (.941) • LAST 10: 9-1
LAST MEETING: W, 3-2 (Sept. 23, 2018 • Boulder, Colo.)
WATCH: Pac-12 LA (Thad Anderson)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CUBuffs.com
Match #16 • Sunday, Oct. 13 • 12 p.m. MT (11 a.m. PT)
USC (8-6, 2-2) at No. 18 Utah (11-4, 3-1)
Jon M. Huntsman Center • Salt Lake City, Utah
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 18-4 (.818) • LAST 10: 7-3
LAST MEETING: L, 3-0 (Nov. 21, 2018 • Galen Center)
WATCH: Pac-12 LA/M (Krista Blunk)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: UtahUtes.com
FIRST SERVE
- Second-year USC head coach Brent Crouch is 30-17 at Troy (85-83 career).
- The Trojans are 11-3 all-time in the state of Colorado (7-1 against the Buffaloes); and are 29-3 in the state of Utah (9-1 against the Utes).
- USC is a combined 34-5 all-time against Colorado and Utah.
- Last year, due to Pac-12 scheduling practices, the Trojans faced the Buffaloes and Utes only once each (Utah at home and Colorado on the road).
- Associate head coach JJ Van Niel formerly served as an assistant coach at Utah under 30th-year head coach Beth Launiere.
- USC returns two AVCA All-America outside hitters. Sr. Khalia Lanier was a first-team choice in 2017 and Jr. Brooke Botkin was second team in 2018.
- USC's sophomore setter Raquel Lázaro was the 2018 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and earned AVCA All-America honorable mention.
TROJAN BRIEF CASE: USC is loaded at the pins and returns a pair of All-American outside hitters in Khalia Lanier (4.07 kps) and Brooke Botkin (2.88 kps). They receive sets from the 2018 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Raquel Lázaro (10.60 aps). All four of USC's top attackers return from last season. On the right side, senior Emily Baptista (2.95 kps in 2018) is back and in the middle, senior Jasmine Gross (2.08 kps, .421) returns. Among newcomers, USC welcomes MB Madison Horin (0.82 kps, 0.92 bps), OH Kalen Owes (2.33 kps), and OPP Emilia Weske (2.20 kps) as part of a heralded freshman class. Defensively, the Trojans lean on senior libero Jenna Adams (3.16 dps) who returns this season after sitting out 2018 due to injury.
LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy split matches for the third straight weekend and started with a big win over No. 8-ranked Washington. The victory was the Trojans' first over a ranked opponent this season and the first over a top-10 team. In its next match, USC struggled out of the gate against No. 24-ranked Washington State and dropped the first to sets. After winning the third, 28-26, the Trojans cruised to a win in the fourth set to force set five. The Cougars, however, had other plans. WSU used an 8-3 run to overcome USC's 10-7 lead in the fourth and walked away with the program's first-ever win at Galen Center and the Cougars' first win over the Trojans in Los Angeles since 1998. The loss was USC's first at home this season, which drops the Trojans to 5-1 at Galen Center in 2019.
TOUGH SLEDDING: The Trojans played one of the toughest non-conference slates in the country in 2019. USC was one of 10 teams that began the season with back-to-back contests against teams that finished in the top 25 of the NCAA's final 2018 ratings percentage index (RPI). The Trojans were one of only three programs that tackled five straight teams that finished 2018 in the top 25. The other two programs were Texas and Creighton. Among the ranked opponents, USC met No. 3 Texas and No. 22 Texas State on opening weekend and then have No. 8 Kentucky, No. 13 Creighton, No. 16 Northern Iowa this week. USC itself was No. 9 in the final published RPI.
AVCA POLL POSITION: The Trojans opened 2019 ranked No. 14, but fell out of the poll on Sept. 30. It was USC's first time unranked in the poll since the 2017 preseason poll. That year, USC finished at No. 7 following a run to the NCAA's regional championship match. Overall, the Trojans have appeared in the poll 517 times, which ranks third all-time. USC has held a spot among the poll's top 10 teams 316 times, which ranks eighth all-time. The Trojans have also held the No. 1 ranking 47 times previously, which is sixth all-time.
PAC-12 POW(ER)S: USC players have received Pac-12 Player of the Week honors 76 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, 11 defensive awards, and taken home 19 freshman honors. On Sept. 16, Sr. MB Jasmine Gross was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career and OH Kalen Owes was chosen for Freshman of the Week honors.
DOUBLE DOWN: Six Women of Troy on this year's squad have recorded career double-doubles. Senior OH Khalia Lanier leads all players with 36-career double-doubles. Junior OH Brooke Botkin has 17-career double-double matches. Sophomore setter Raquel Lázaro has logged 20 double-doubles and is the owner of the first and only USC triple-double in the rally scoring era (36 assists, 16 digs, 11 blocks at Northern Iowa). Senior OPP Emily Baptista has three as a Trojan and 11-career double-doubles. Senior MB Jasmine Gross has had four. Freshman OH Kalen Owes posted her first-career double-double (18 kills, 15 digs) against Creighton on Sept. 7, and is already up to three-career double-doubles.
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