No. 20 USC Women's Volleyball Set For Creighton Classic

LOS ANGELES – The No. 20 USC women's volleyball team (2-0) heads to the Cornhusker State to take on 11th-ranked Creighton (3-0) and Kansas State (1-2) in the Creighton Classic this week at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha. The Women of Troy opened their season with a win for the 39th time last week when USC took down Pepperdine in back-to-back road contests and looks to carry that momentum into the first of two September trips into Nebraska.

THIS WEEK
CREIGHTON CLASSIC
D.J. Sokol Arena • Omaha, Neb.

MATCH #3 • Thursday, Sept. 5 • 6 p.m. CT (4 p.m. PT)
No. 20 USC (2-0) at No. 11 Creighton (3-0)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 6-3 (.667)
LAST MEETING: L 3-1 (Sept. 2, 2022 • Omaha, Neb.)
STREAK: Lost 3 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 6-3
TV/STREAM: FS1 (Kylen Mills & Anna Connelly)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoCreighton.com

MATCH #4 • Friday, Sept. 6 • 4 p.m. CT (2 p.m. PT)
No. 20 USC (2-0) vs. Kansas State (1-2)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 2-0 (1.000)
LAST MEETING: W 3-0 (Dec. 3, 2004 • Lyon Center)
STREAK: Won 2 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 2-0
TV/STREAM: FloVolleyball
OPPONENT WEBSITE: KStateSports.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

USC has won six national championships. Three AIAW titles (1976, '77, '80) and three NCAA crowns (1981, 2002, '03).
The Women of Troy own eight conference championships. Three in the Western Collegiate Athletic Association (1976, '77, '80), three in the Pac-10 (2000, '02, '03), and two in the Pac-12 (2011, '15).
The Trojans are led by fifth-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 65-47 (.580) as the USC's head coach.
USC is 6-6 in the state of Nebraska; 2-6 in the city of Omaha.
Sr. setter Mia Tuaniga has been the Trojans' starting setter for each of the last three seasons has amassed 3,400 career assists to rank seventh in school history. She was selected to the Big Ten Preseason All-Conference Team.
Gr. OH Ally Batenhorst logged her third-career double-double and reached career highs in kills (16) and attacks (48) against Pepperdine last week.
So. OH London Wijay recorded back-to-back double-doubles in USC's season-opening weekend at Pepperdine.
Jr. LIB Gala Trubint logged her 49th and 50th career matches in double-digit digs in the Trojans' wins over Pepperdine last weekend.
Fr. MB Favor Anyanwu hit .636 and .526 in her first two collegiate matches to lead the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.567) and rank third in the NCAA.
The Trojans will play their first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference in 2024 and were picked to finish seventh in a preseason coaches poll.

LAST TIME OUT: USC improved to 39-10 all-time in season openers with a road sweep of Pepperdine last week. The Trojans went 2-0 in Malibu following a second meeting with the Waves for a four-set victory. In the first, London Wijay led the way with 15 kills and 15 digs for her seventh-career double-double. She logged her eighth double-double in the second match and was joined by Ally Batenhorst who registered career highs of 16 kills and 48 attacks in the win. Mia Tuaniga moved into seventh in school history for assists and is now up to 3,400 while Gala Trubint posted her 49th and 50th-career matches in double-digit digs. Favor Anyanwu made her collegiate debut to much fanfare and finished with .636 and .526 hitting, which has her ranked third in the NCAA for hitting percentage (first in the Big Ten).

AVCA POLL POSITION: The Trojans open the 2024 season ranked No. 21 in the AVCA coaches' poll. Overall, USC has appeared in the coaches' poll 528 times, which ranks sixth all-time. The Women of Troy have held a spot among the poll's top 10 teams 317 times, which ranks eighth all-time, and the Trojans have held the No. 1 ranking 47 times for seventh all-time. Since 1982—the year of the poll's inception—USC has appeared in the final poll 34 of 41 times with 18 finishes in the top 10; 12 in the top five, and twice as the No. 1-ranked team (2002, '03).

DOUBLE DOWN: Five Trojans have recorded career double-doubles. Setter Mia Tuaniga owns 28 double-doubles in her career (one triple-double on Sept. 30, 2022, against Colorado). OPP Adonia Faumuina logged a double-double in her first-collegiate match as she led the Women of Troy to a win over crosstown rival UCLA. OH London Wijay had back-to-back double-doubles in road matches at Purdue and UCLA for her first two of her career and now has eight-career double-doubles. LIB Gala Trubint had a 20-dig, 10-assist double-double against Arizona State for the first of her career. OH Ally Batenhorst owns three-career double-doubles, twice as a Husker in 2022.

OH! SO CORNY: The Trojans are an even 6-6 in 12 matches played in the Cornhusker State. USC is 4-0 in Lincoln, but just 2-6 in Omaha. In 2017 and 2022, the Trojans played at D.J. Sokol Arena as part of a rotating tournament that included USC, Creighton, Kentucky, and Northern Iowa. In 2022, the Trojans defeated Northern Iowa in Omaha for their last win in the state of Nebraska.

CORNY CONNECTIONS: Three Women of Troy have hailed from the Cornhusker State. Freshman LIB/DS Paisley Douglas will make a homecoming to her hometown of Omaha when the Trojans play in the Creighton Classic (Sept. 5-6). She is the third Trojan with roots in the state. LIB/DS Raegan LeGrand (2016-19) was the first-ever Nebraska native—from Papillion—to wear the Cardinal & Gold. Her younger sister Ava LeGrand is now a defender at Kansas State, the Trojans' opponent on Sept. 6. Setter Elle Glock (2021; Wahoo, Neb.) played one season at USC before transferring to Louisville. OH Ally Batenhorst played three seasons at Nebraska before she transferred to join the Women of Troy for the 2024 season. Associate head coach Tyler Hildebrand was an assistant coach for the Cornhuskers for three seasons (2017, '20, '21).

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Players Mentioned

Favor Anyanwu

Ally Batenhorst

Paisley Douglas

Adonia Faumuina

Gala Trubint

Mia Tuaniga

London Wijay