Press Release courtesy of USC Athletics
No. 14 USC (20-7, 12-4 Pac-12) takes a five-match winning streak into pivotal Pac-12 road contests this week at No. 4 Stanford (22-3, 15-1) and California (13-14, 4-12). With four regular-season matches remaining, USC is second in the Pac-12 standings behind Stanford. Wins in the Bay Area would create some separation between the Trojans and a glut of teams in third and fourth place. This week’s AVCA National Player of the Week, OH Khalia Lanier (4.09 kps) is just one of the Trojans’ go-to pin-hitters. OPP Brittany Abercrombie (3.14 kps), OPP Niki Withers (2.57 kps), and OH Brooke Botkin (2.05 kps) are also proven scoring threats. Jordan Dunn (1.04 bps) and Brittany Welsh occupy the middle of the net. Setters Reni Meyer-Whalley (6.16 aps) and Cindy Marina (5.30 aps) run USC’s 6-2 system; and libero Victoria Garrick puts up 3.86 digs per set.
MATCH #28
No. 14 USC (20-7, 12-4) at No. 4 Stanford (22-3, 15-1)
Maples Pavilion • Stanford, Calif.
Wednesday, Nov. 15 • 7 p.m. PT
Series Record: USC trails, 26-62-1 (.292)
Last Meeting: L, 3-1 (Oct. 15, 2017 • Galen Center)
Current Streak: Lost 3 • Last 10 Meetings: 4-6
TV: Pac-12 BA (Anne Marie Anderson & Holly McPeak)
Opponent Website: GoStanford.com
MATCH #29
No. 14 USC (20-7, 12-4) at California (13-14, 4-12)
Haas Pavilion • Berkeley, Calif.
Friday, Nov. 17 • 6 p.m. PT
Series Record: USC leads, 57-12 (.826)
Last Meeting: W, 3-1 (Nov. 13, 2017 • Galen Center)
Current Streak: Won 4 • Last 10 Meetings: 9-1
Stream: Pac-12+ California
Opponent Website: CalBears.com
FIRST SERVE
- USC is on a five-match winning streak. It matches the team’s longest previous streak this season (Sept. 15-Oct. 1).
- The Trojans’ No. 14 position in the latest AVCA coaches poll is a season high.
- In 12 of the preceding 16 years under head coach Mick Haley, the Trojans have posted at least the same or better record in the back half of conference matches as they have in the front half. (7-3; 5-1)
- The Trojans are 2-2 in their last four visits to Maples Pavilion. USC is 8-2 in its last 10 at Haas Pavilion and has won six in a row in the Bears’ lair.
- The Trojans have reached 20 wins in a season for the 13th time in 17 years.
- USC owns seven wins over ranked opponents this season: No. 6 Washington, at No. 7 Creighton, at No. 11 UCLA, at No. 12 Utah, No. 15 Utah, No. 16 Michigan, and No. 25 Colorado.
- So. OH Khalia Lanier was named the AVCA National Player of the Week for the first time in her career (Nov. 14) and is the Pac-12 Off. POW (Nov. 13).
BUT FIRST, LET ME TAKE A #SELFIE: Get social with the Women of Troy! Fans can follow and interact with the USC women’s volleyball team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Periscope by searching for @USCWomensVolley.
LAST TIME OUT: The Trojans extended their winning streak to five matches with a four-set win over No. 15 Utah and a five-set victory over No. 25 Colorado at the Galen Center to equal the previous long this season (Sept. 15-Oct. 1). USC also avenged a road loss to the Buffaloes. S Reni Meyer-Whalley dished out 32 assists to go with 12 digs for her ninth double-double of the year in the win over Utah; and OH Khalia Lanier produced her sixth double-double of the season (22nd career) with 21 kills and 14 digs in the win over CU. The Trojans had four players in double-digit kills in each of the wins.
HEY BAY BAY: Three Trojans hail from Bay Area cities and will play in front of friends and family when USC visits the Bay Area this week. Victoria Garrick prepped at Sacred Heart and grew up in Atherton, Calif. Madison Murtagh is from San Francisco and Jenna Adams is a native of San Mateo, Calif.
LINE DANCING: The Women of Troy have used 10 different starting lineups this season. No player can claim to have started all 27 matches, but three have appeared in all 106sets for the Trojans: OPP Brittany Abercrombie, and setters Reni Meyer-Whalley and Cindy Marina. Defensive specialist Jenna Adams has played in all but one set for USC.
SHOW AND PROVE: In 12 of the previous 16 years under the direction of head coach Mick Haley, the Trojans have posted at least the same or better records in the back half of league play as they have in the front half. USC completed the front portion of the Pac-12 schedule with a 7-3 record this season. The last time the Trojans were 7-3 on the front end, they went 8-2 to finish with a 15-5 mark in 2012.
900 CLUB: USC head coach Mick Haley ranks third in career NCAA Division I victories (952) among active coaches behind only Penn State’s Russ Rose and Navy’s Larry Bock. Haley is in his 34th season as a Division I coach, but has 41 years of overall coaching experience and is 1,300-336-1 (.795) in all matches including men’s and women’s at Kellogg Community College.
NATIONALLY NOTABLE: Two Trojans have received national recognition for their performances this season. Senior OPP Brittany Abercrombie was named the espnW National Player of the Week on Oct. 3 and sophomore OH Khalia Lanier was chosen as the AVCA’s National Player of the Week on Nov. 14. Lanier is USC’s 10th all-time AVCA National Player of the Week award winner and the first since three-time All-American OH Samantha Bricio was selected on Nov. 10, 2015.
PAC-12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Trojans have been selected for the Pac-12’s Player of the Week award five times this season. Following the opening weekend, sophomore OH Khalia Lanier was honored as the Offensive Player of the Week. It was her first-career POW award after having received one Freshman of the Week award in 2016. On Sept. 25, senior OPP Brittany Abercrombie (offensive) and junior L Victoria Garrick (defensive) were each named Players of the Week for the first times in their careers. Abercrombie became the first Trojan to earn back-to-back selections as the Pac-12 Player of the Week since Samantha Bricio (2015) when she was chosen again on Oct. 2. Women of Troy have garnered weekly honors a total of 73 times, which ranks third in Pac-12 history.
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