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USC Women's Volleyball Claims Second Four-Set Road Win Over California

by usctrojans.com
Feb 20, 2021

Box Score | Boxscore

BERKELEY, Calif. – The USC women's volleyball team (3-5, 3-5 Pac-12) defeated California (1-9, 1-9) in four sets (15-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-21) at Haas Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 20. The Women of Troy beat the Golden Bears for the 11th straight time and have won 11 straight in Berkeley dating back to the 2010 season.
 
KEY PLAYERS

  • So. OPP Emilia Weske led the Trojans with 12 kills (2e, 24att) and hit .417 to go with a season-high five blocks.
  • Jr. OH Brooklyn Schirmer logged a career-high 11 kills (3e, 25att) with a .320 hitting percentage and had two blocks.
  • Sr. MB Candice Denny had nine kills (4e, 17att, .294) with four blocks (one solo).
  • So. MB Aleksandra Gryka scored six kills (1e, 13att, .385) and had a career-high five service aces with five blocks.
  • On defense, So. libero Sophia Theriot led USC with 11 digs and scored a career-high four service aces.
  • Gr. setter Sarah Nelson dished out 27 assists and added two service aces and a block. 
  • For Cal, Makana Meyer led the Bears with 13 kills (7e, 28att, .214) and Sydney Lilomaiava had 11 kills (1e, 18att, .556) with two blocks. Isabel Potter had 37 assists, and two of Cal's 10 service aces.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Trojans out-hit the Bears, .238 to .161, and used a late-match surge to score more service aces (12-10) and finish with more blocks (9-6) than their opponent.
  • USC started strong but was tripped up in the middle of the first set as Cal embarked on a 10-0 scoring run to lead, 19-8. The Trojans fought back but fell short in a 25-15 loss despite recording more kills than the Bears.
  • The Golden Bears appeared to maintain momentum on the way to a 10-3 lead in the second set, but the Trojans chipped away and closed within five at 16-11. Five kills from Weske, four from Schirmer, and three aces from Gryka helped power a 12-0 run that sealed a 25-18 win for the Women of Troy.
  • Theriot commanded the service line for three straight aces during a big 9-0 run that put the Trojans on top, 12-5. USC was nary threatened and finished off a 25-15 win in the third with a .571 hitting percentage (13k, 1e, 21att).
  • The teams went back and forth in the fourth, but Cal maintained control until USC caught up at 18-all. The Trojans used a 7-3 run to close out the match and had five aces in the final set.

UP NEXT

  • USC returns home to host Arizona State (1-8, 1-8 Pac-12) at Galen Center for two matches on Friday (Feb. 26) and Sunday (Feb. 28). Times will be finalized and announced this week.

MATCH NOTES

  • USC improved to 64-12 all-time against California and won its 11th straight match against the Golden Bears. The Trojans also went to 28-7 all-time against the Bears in Berkeley and have now won 11 straight at Haas Pavilion since 2010.
  • The Trojans improved to 63-60 all-time in matches played in Northern California.
  • USC won back-to-back matches for the first time since Nov. 17-21, 2019.

This season (2020-21), the Pac-12 plays a 22-match Conference-only schedule as its 2020 season, which began on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. All volleyball competitions will be conducted in accordance with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee health and safety recommendations and guidelines available at Pac-12.com/health.
 
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.
 

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