No. 22 USC Women's Volleyball Swept by No. 23 Rice

Saturday, August 26

Houston, Texas

4:00 PM

USC

0-2,0-0Pac-12

Rice

2-0,0-0AAC

Southern California

Rice

No. 22 USC Women's Volleyball Swept by No. 23 Rice

August 26, 2023 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Highlights

Senior OH Skylar Fields led the Trojans with an 18-kill evening at Tudor Fieldhouse

HOUSTON – The No. 22-ranked USC women's volleyball team (0-2) dropped a three-setter (25-21, 25-22, 25-18) to No. 23 Rice at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday, Aug. 26.

KEY PLAYERS

Sr. OH Skylar Fields led all players with 18 kills (4e, 54att) with .259 hitting and added eight digs and two blocks.
Jr. setter Mia Tuaniga posted 18 assists with seven digs and had a block.
Gr. LIB Ellie Snook started the first two sets and finished with 15 digs and four assists.
So. DS Gala Trubint put up nine digs and had an assist.
For Rice, Danyle Courtley led with 14 kills (2e, 30att) on .400 hitting and added two blocks. Former Trojan Emilia Weske logged 11 kills (4e, 37att, .189) to go with 13 digs for the double-double and added three service aces. Darby Harris set the Owls to a .214 hitting night with 32 assists and 14 digs for a double-double. Nia McCardell led all players with 18 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

There were 10 ties in the first set with five lead changes, the last of which put Rice on top, 16-15. From there, Courtley and Weske powered the Owls to a 25-21 win with six kills apiece. For the Trojans, Fields logged five of her kills in the first set while Sr. OH Kalyah Williams and So. MB Tyrah Ariailput up three kills each.
Fields tallied seven more kills in the second, but the Owls held a lead most of the way and went up, 2-0, with a 25-22 win in the frame. Rice hit just .098 but still outpaced the Trojans' .000 attack rate. Both teams had one block each and both served four service errors in a nearly statistically symmetrical set.
Rice seized early control of the third and led by as many as 10 points at 21-11, but the Trojans mounted a late comeback to close within six before the Owls completed the sweep with a 25-18 win. Fields put up six more kills in the third and the Trojans had three blocks, but it wasn't enough to overcome Rice's 14 kills on .250 hitting down the stretch.

UP NEXT

The Trojans conclude their opening weekend with a first-time meeting against Southern Mississippi (0-1). USC and Southern Miss take the court at Fertitta Center at 11 a.m. CT (9 a.m. PT). The match will not be streamed.

MATCH NOTES

USC fell to 1-1 in its two all-time meetings with Rice.
The Women of Troy fell to 31-8 all-time in the state of Texas and went to 3-2 in the city of Houston.

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.