USC Falls to Top-Seeded Pittsburgh in NCAA Second Round

Saturday, December 2

Pittsburgh, Pa.

4:00 PM

USC

19-13,12-8Pac-12

Pittsburgh

27-4,16-2ACC

Southern California

Pittsburgh

Photo by: Harrison Cho

USC Falls to Top-Seeded Pittsburgh in NCAA Second Round

December 02, 2023 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

Trojan senior OH Skylar Fields collected 21 kills and had a double-double with 10 digs in her final collegiate match

PITTSBURGH – The eighth-seeded and 25th-ranked USC women's volleyball team (19-13) fell to top-seeded and fourth-ranked Pittsburgh (27-4) in four sets (23-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-18) and was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Petersen Events Center on Saturday, Dec. 2.

KEY PLAYERS

Sr. OH Skylar Fields led the Trojans with 21 kills (10e, 55att, .200) to go with 10 digs, a block, and a service ace. It was her 59th time in double-digit kills as a Trojan; the 37th time with 20 or more kills in a contest. She concludes her illustrious collegiate career with 1,215 kills at USC and 2,141 in total. The double-double she produced was the ninth of the season and the 19th of her career. Fields' 617 kills this season rank third in USC history as she becomes only the third Trojan to reach 600 in a single year (Samantha Bricio, Asia Kaczor). Her 1,499 attacks and 666.5 points in 2023 also each rank third all-time in school history.
So. MB Tyrah Ariail added six kills (3e, 23att) to go with four blocks (one solo) and a pair of service aces.
Jr. S Mia Tuaniga dished out 34 assists and had five digs, two blocks, a service ace, and a kill.
So. LIB Gala Trubint put up 12 digs and scored on three service aces. It was her 48th-career match in double-digit digs.
Sr. MB Lindsey Miller led the Trojans with five blocks and added three kills.
For the Panthers, Olivia Babcock spurned a slow start and finished with a team-high 16 kills with .159 hitting to go with 12 digs and six blocks. Torrey Stafford had 13 kills and hit .345 with six digs. Rachel Fairbanks set the Panthers to a .248 match and finished with a double-double on 41 assists and 10 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Pitt out-hit USC, .248 to .078, and had the edge in blocks (12.5-10.0) and digs (55-49). The Trojans racked up nine aces to the Panthers' three and kept their own service errors to a minimum with eight in the match.
The Trojans scored 11 kills, two aces, and three blocks, including a block on the final point of a 25-23 first-set win. USC hit just .089 (11k, 7e, 45att) but still outpaced the Panthers' .087 (12k, 8e, 46att). Fields led all players with six kills while Fr. OH London Wijay tallied six of her digs and Trubint added five. The Trojans led most of the way until Pitt turned the tables to take its second lead at 19-18. Down, 22-20, USC scored four unanswered points to grab set point. The Panthers saved one, but the Trojans closed out the win on a block by Sr. MB Lindsey Miller and Gr. MB Kalyah Williams.
Pitt opened set two with a 4-0 run, but the Trojans turned the tables to go ahead, 14-10, on a block by Ariail and Williams. USC led by four again, 16-12, but the Panthers went in front for good at 17-16 and finished off a 25-20 win to tie the match. Pitt put up 7.5 blocks to hold USC to a negative .026 hitting rate and got five kills from Babcock to hit .188. Fields and Ariail each scored four kills in the second frame.
The Panthers seized early control of set three and led by as many as 11 points as late as 20-9, but the Trojans fought back to score five unanswered points to pull withing five at 23-18. Pitt hung on to finish off a 25-18 set to take a 2-1 lead in the set thanks to three blocks and a .481 hitting rate. Fields racked up six more kills and the Trojans had two aces in the third.
Pittsburgh claimed the match with a 25-18 win in the fourth set and hit .357 to outpace the Trojans' .130. The Panthers built an early six-point lead at 12-6 but USC used a 4-0 run to tie the score at 13-all. Tied for the last time at 14-all, Pitt ripped through a 6-0 run to lead, 20-14, and then held off the Trojans' final comeback bid to seal the win. Fields tallied five more kills in the fourth while So. MB Rylie McGinest picked up two.

MATCH NOTES

USC falls to 3-1 all-time against Pittsburgh. The Trojans last faced the Panthers in 2002 in Muncie, Ind.
The Women of Troy go to 2-2 all-time in the state of Pennsylvania.
The Trojans recorded double-digit blocks for the 13th time this season.
USC goes to 129-43 (.750) all-time in postseason matches with an 83-36 (.697) record in the NCAA tournament.

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, X, and Instagram.