USC Women's Volleyball Opens Pac-12 Play at Crosstown Rival UCLA

LOS ANGELES – The USC women's volleyball team (6-4) rides a five-match win streak into conference play and opens on the road for the fifth straight year when it gets started with a crosstown showdown against rival UCLA (8-2) on Wednesday (Sept. 20) at Pauley Pavilion. The Trojans and the Bruins meet at 7 p.m. PT and will be shown live on Pac-12 Networks and Pac-12 Los Angeles. The Women of Troy are 34-13 in all-time conference openers with a 14-8 mark as the road team in league openers.

MATCH #11 • Wednesday, Sept. 20 • 7 p.m. PT
USC (6-4, 0-0) at UCLA (8-2, 0-0)
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, Calif.
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 63-57 (.525)
LAST MEETING: W 3-1 (Nov. 25, 2022 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 3 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 6-4
TV: Pac-12 N/LA (Anne Marie Anderson & Holly McPeak)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: UCLABruins.com

MATCH #12 • Sunday, Sept. 24 • 1 p.m. PT
USC (6-4, 0-0) vs. Oregon State (5-5, 0-0)
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 62-10 (.861)
LAST MEETING: W 3-0 (Nov. 18, 2022 • Corvallis, Ore.)
STREAK: Won 5 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 9-1
TV: Pac-12 Network/Pac-12 Oregon (Jim Watson)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: OSUBeavers.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

USC is led by fourth-year head coach Brad Keller who has the unique experience of having coached both men's and women's programs at both USC and UCLA. Overall, Keller is 50-38 (.568) as the Trojans' head coach.
The Women of Troy played seven of their 10 non-conference matches on the road and flew approximately 11,500 miles through the air.
USC is 34-13 all-time in conference openers and is 14-8 when it opens league play as the road team. The Trojans have opened conference play on the road the last five years and in seven of the last nine seasons.
Sr. OH Skylar Fields has reached double-digit kills in nine matches. She was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 11) for the fifth time in her career and leads the Pac-12 in kills (5.30 kps) and points (5.80 pps).
OH London Wijay was chosen as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the week of Sept. 18 after a breakout performance at No. 17 Purdue.
First-year assistant coach Megan Moenoa was a standout setter at UCLA and helped the Bruins win the 2011 NCAA championship.
First-year associate head coach Spencer McLachlin has UCLA ties as a men's volleyball assistant coach for three seasons (2018-21).

LAST TIME OUT: USC concluded its non-conference schedule on a five-match win streak by taking down Big Ten foes Illinois (3-2) and 17th-ranked Purdue (3-1) in the Boilermaker Challenge. OH Skylar Fields was chosen as the tournament's Most Valuable Player and was joined on the all-tournament team by LIB Gala Trubint. Fields had a set where she collected 11 kills and finished the two-match tourney with 52 kills on .328 hitting. Starting setter Mia Tuaniga posted her fourth double-double of the season against the Illini but suffered an injury in the third set against the Boilermakers. Graduate transfer Emily Fitzner—who had been used as a serving specialist—came in and set the Trojans to their first win over a ranked opponent this season. OH London Wijay helped spark the offense in USC's win over Illinois but delivered 18 kills against Purdue in her second-career start. MB Tyrah Ariail posted a career-high 15 kills in the win over the Boilers and tied the second best single-match mark in school history (.778).

CROSSTOWN CONNECTIONS: USC head coach Brad Keller has the unique distinction of having coached both the men's and women's volleyball programs at both USC and UCLA. Prior to his arrival at USC, he served one season (2019) as UCLA's associate head coach. The Trojans' associate head coach Spencer McLachlin also has UCLA ties having served as an assistant coach for the Bruin men (alongside Keller in his first season) for three years (2018-21). Assistant coach Megan Moenoa was a standout setter for the Bruin women and helped UCLA capture the 2011 NCAA championship. She graduated from UCLA in 2015. USC technical coordinator Virginia Pham also graduated from UCLA in 2015—with a bachelor's degree in computer science—and served three seasons as a student assistant for several of the Bruins' volleyball programs. Junior OH Katelyn Smith has a twin sister named Jessie who plays for UCLA's beach volleyball team.

AGREE TO DISAGREE: The Women of Troy lead the all-time series with rival UCLA by a 63-57 margin. Ask someone in blue and gold and they'll tell you otherwise. The Bruins claim to lead the series, 68-63, but how? UCLA's program, which started in 1972, is several years older than the one at USC, which began in 1976. The Bruins earned a handful of victories over the Trojans before the Women of Troy officially started a varsity program. In those four seasons, the Bruins racked up 11 wins against USC's club team, which are included in UCLA's all-time record.

TRUTH BE DAMMED: USC is 62-10 all-time against Oregon State; 32-3 at home. The Trojans have not lost to Oregon State at home since 1996 and have won 24 straight home meetings with the Beavers. Overall, the Women of Troy have won their last five matches with OSU; 14 of the last 15.

TIME TO PAC IT UP: The Women of Troy will be playing their final season in the Pac-12 Conference. On June 30, 2022, USC and UCLA both announced that the schools' athletic programs would join the Big Ten Conference in 2024. Since that time, Oregon and Washington also made similar announcements and all four teams will now compete in the Big Ten for most sports.

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Players Mentioned

Tyrah Ariail

Skylar Fields

Katelyn Smith

Gala Trubint

Mia Tuaniga

London Wijay