USC Women's Volleyball Treks Into Big Ten Country For Boilermaker Challenge

LOS ANGELES – The USC women's volleyball team (4-4) ventures into Big Ten country to conclude its slate of non-conference matches this week at the Boilermaker Challenge hosted by 17th-ranked Purdue (5-2) at Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette, Ind. The Women of Troy take on Illinois (4-3) in their first match on Thursday (Sept. 14) at 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT) and then meet the host Boilermakers in an 8 p.m. ET contest on Friday (Sept. 15). Both matches will be carried live on the Big Ten Network.

BOILERMAKER CHALLENGE
Holloway Gymnasium • West Lafayette, Ind.

MATCH #9 • Thursday, Sept. 14 • 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT)
USC (4-4) vs. Illinois (4-3)
SERIES RECORD: USC trails, 2-3 (.400)
LAST MEETING: L 3-2 (Dec. 15, 2011 • San Antonio, Texas)
STREAK: Lost 2 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 2-3
TV: Big Ten Network (Chris Vosters & Emily Ehman)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: FightingIllini.com

MATCH #10 • Friday, Sept. 15 • 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
USC (4-4) at Purdue (5-2)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 5-0 (1.000)
LAST MEETING: W 3-1 (Aug. 30, 2013 • West Lafayette, Ind.)
STREAK: Won 5 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 5-0
TV: Big Ten Network (Chris Vosters & Emily Ehman)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: PurdueSports.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

USC is led by fourth-year head coach Brad Keller who has the unique experience of having also served as an assistant coach for the USC men. Keller is 48-38 (.558) at Troy.
The Trojans play seven of their 10 non-conference matches on the road and will have flown approximately 11,500 miles through the air before the start of Pac-12 Conference play.
USC is 9-1 all-time in the Hoosier State; its only loss was at Notre Dame (Sept. 2, 1995). In the Trojans' nine wins, they have dropped just one set.
10 years ago, USC opened its 2013 schedule in West Lafayette at the Mortar Board Premier hosted by a then 16th-ranked Purdue. The Trojans got a four-set win over the Boilermakers to open the season and then beat No. 21 Western Kentukcy and Alabama A&M in 3-0 sweeps.
The last time USC played Illinois, it lost in a five-set decision in the 2011 National Semifinal held in San Antonio, Texas.
Sr. OH Skylar Fields has racked up seven matches in double-digit kills. She was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week this week; the fifth of her career. Fields leads the Pac-12 in kills (5.14 kps) and points (5.53 pps).

The trip is a preview of sorts for the Trojans, who will be members of the Big Ten Conference beginning in 2024. USC and UCLA announced in June of 2022 that the schools would be moving from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. Oregon and Washington later followed suit in a similar announcement in July of 2023. The four new additions push the conference's membership to 18 schools.

The Trojans aren't unfamiliar with the Midwest. They are 9-1 all-time in the state of Indiana and took their only loss in 1995; a four-set decision against Notre Dame in South Bend. USC's trip to the Hoosier State and back will mark the completion of 11,500 miles through the air to play seven of its 10 non-conference matches. The furthest the Trojans will travel during its last season through the Pac-12 is 2,300 miles round-trip to face Washington and WSU in the Pacific Northwest.

LAST TIME OUT: USC hosted and won the Trojan Invitational at Galen Center with a pair of 3-0 sweeps over UC Davis and Marist, and a 3-1 win over San Diego. The 3,314 fans in attendance for the Trojans' meeting with UC Davis marked the highest attended home opener for USC in over 10 years. OH Skylar Fields was named to the all-tournament team as the Most Outstanding Player and was joined on the team by LIB Gala Trubint and MB Lindsey Miller. Fields led the Trojans with a career-high 28-kill performance and had a double-double with 12 digs in USC's win over the Toreros. Setter Mia Tuaniga posted two double-doubles over the weekend to bring her career total to 18 double-doubles.

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Players Mentioned

Skylar Fields

Lindsey Miller

Gala Trubint

Mia Tuaniga