Four USC Women’s Volleyball Players Earn Pac-12 Honor Roll Notice
SAN FRANCISCO – USC women's volleyball senior middle blocker Candice Denny (Saratoga, Calif./Archbishop Mitty HS), sophomore libero Keila Barra (Pasadena, Calif./San Marino HS), sophomore outside hitter Kalen Owes (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS), and sophomore opposite hitter Emilia Weske (Potsdam, Germany/Leibniz Gymnasium) were each named to the Pac-12 Conference 2020-21 Fall and Winter Academic Honor Rolls on Wednesday, May 19.
A total of 1,079 Pac-12 student-athletes were recognized for their achievements in the classroom. Any student-athlete on their respective team rosters with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30-or-above, and who had served at least one year in residence at the institution, was eligible to be selected for the distinction. In 2019, the Pac-12 went to a model whereby any student-athlete who qualifies was automatically named to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll during the season in which they compete.
The 2020-21 Fall Academic Honor Roll included 725 student-athletes who participated in the sports of football, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, and women's volleyball, with each of these sports aside from football competing in the winter and spring of 2021. The 2020-21 Winter Academic Honor Roll included 354 student-athletes who participated in men's and women's basketball, women's gymnastics, men's and women's swimming and diving, and wrestling.
Denny—a May graduate with a bachelor's degree in law, history, and culture—played in all 15 of USC's matches in the 2020-21 season with 14 starts. She collected 106 kills (1.80 kps) with a .278 hitting percentage. Denny reached double-digit kills four times and added 0.71 blocks per set with 16 service aces. Barra is a double-major in health and human sciences and business administration. She appeared in seven matches and saw 13 sets of action; and finished the season with 14 digs.
Owes—a biochemistry major—was hampered by injuries throughout the season but appeared in seven matches with four starts. She recorded 113 kills (2.41 kps) and had 37 digs (1.37 dps). Weske is a double-major in environmental science and health and marine biology. She played in all 15 matches and all 62 sets for the Trojans. She reached double-digit kills 10 times and finished with 148 kills (2.39 kps). Weske logged a double-double in her first match and finished the year with 10 service aces, 40 blocks, and 51 digs. She was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week in the final week of the season (April 5).
Under first-year head coach Brad Keller, USC (7-8, 7-8 Pac-12) concluded the season with four straight wins (at UCLA, at Arizona, vs. Colorado twice) and was competitive in each of its five-set losses to the league's top teams. The Trojans had seven matches cancelled for various reasons including COVID-19 protocols, which was second only to Stanford's total of 12 cancelled contests.
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.