# #

USC Women's Volleyball Drops Narrow Five-Set Decision to Creighton

by usctrojans.com
Sep 3, 2021

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The USC women's volleyball team (3-2) fell just short of completing the comeback in a five-set loss (25-19, 25-21, 18-25, 19-25, 15-13) to Creighton (4-0) in the second match of the Bluegrass Battle at Memorial Coliseum on Friday, Sept. 3.
 
KEY PLAYERS

  • Gr. OH Brooke Botkin led all players with 24 kills (7e, 52att) as she hit .327 and added eight digs. It was a season high for Botkin and just four kills shy of matching her career high of 28 kills (Sept. 8, 2018).
  • Sr. OH Brooklyn Schirmer put up eight kills (4e, 25att, .160) and had six digs and two of the Trojans' seven service aces.
  • Fr. setter Mia Tuaniga posted a career-high 28 assists to go with nine digs, four kills, and a block.
  • In her fifth straight match in double-digit digs, Gr. LIB Shannon Scully put up 19 digs with two service aces.
  • For Creighton, Norah Sis led with 20 kills (4e, 52att, .308) and added seven digs. Jaela Zimmerman had 16 kills (10e, 46att) with 16 digs. Kendra Wait set CU to a .293 hitting percentage and finished with 49 assists, nine kills, and eight digs. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Trojans struggled in the opening set and fell behind by as many as six points. USC fought to get within a point at 15-14, but Creighton stepped up to complete a 25-19 first-set win.
  • More of the same in the second saw the Bluejays fly out to a 12-7 lead quickly. USC closed the gap to one point several times but stalled at 21 as CU's 4-1 run sealed a 25-21 win and a 2-0 Creighton lead in the match.
  • USC came out a different team after the break and doubled up the Bluejays at 10-5. USC pushed out to a seven-point lead at 21-14 and got five kills from Botkin to deal CU its first set loss of the season on a 25-18 win in the third.
  • Botkin racked up eight more kills in the fourth set and turned the tables on a 13-12 Creighton lead with a big 7-0 run. The Women of Troy went ahead by seven at 23-16 and held on to take a 25-19 win to force set five.
  • The teams traded points until USC came up with three straight for a 6-4 lead. The Trojans pushed out to three-point leads several times including at 8-5 and 13-10, but Creighton stiffened up to score a 5-0 burst for the 15-13 win. 

UP NEXT

  • The Women of Troy return to the court at Memorial Coliseum tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 4) to take on No. 3-ranked and defending NCAA champion Kentucky (3-0) at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) in the final match of the Bluegrass Battle. The meeting—eighth all-time between the programs—will be shown live on SEC Network+.

MATCH NOTES

  • USC fell to 6-2 all-time against Creighton and lost its second straight to the Bluejays after a 6-0 series start.
  • The Trojans dropped to 6-1 all-time in the Bluegrass State.

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.
 

Related News & Videos