USC Women's Volleyball Falls to Hawai'i in Four Sets

HONOLULU – The USC women's volleyball team (3-4) dropped a four-set decision (25-17, 11-25, 25-21, 25-20) to Hawai'i (3-4) at Simplifi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Friday, Sept. 10.
 
KEY PLAYERS

• Gr. OH Brooke Botkin led all players with 17 kills (7e, 46att, .217) to go with six digs and a service ace. She had 18.0 points and moved into 10th in USC's top 10 for career points (1,333.0) ahead of All-American MB Lauren Williams (2008-11).
• Jr. OH Kalen Owes had 10 kills (4e, 28att, .214) with four digs and three blocks.
• Sr. setter Raquel Lázaro came off the bench and racked up her 41st career double-double as she finished with 32 assists and 13 digs. Lázaro also got in on two blocks and picked up a service ace and one kill.
• Gr. OH Paige Hammons scored nine kills (1e, 25att) and hit .320 to go with 12 digs and two blocks.
• For Hawai'i, Annika De Goede led with 11 kills (2e, 21att) and hit .429 with eight digs and three blocks. Brooke Van Sickle had nine kills and 14 digs. Mylana Byrd had the double-double with 39 assists and 11 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Despite five ties with the Wahine, the Trojans couldn't seize the first-set lead while hitting .049. UH was efficient with 14 kills and a .306 hitting rate as it completed a 25-17 win.
• A different USC hit the floor in set two as the Trojans rolled to a big 25-11 win to even the match. The Women of Troy hit .476 with 11 kills (1e, 21att) and produced two service aces. The Trojans took advantage of UH miscues and held the Wahine to a negative .115 hitting percentage with six kills (9e, 26att).
• Owes had five kills in the third and the Trojans hung with the Wahine until UH broke the 10th tie of the set to claim a two-point lead at 20-18. Hawai'i held on to go on top, 2-1, in the match with a 25-21 win.
• The teams went back and forth in the fourth. USC thought it had an 18-all tie, but a challenge review flipped the score to 19-17 in favor of UH. From there, the Wahine held off the Trojan attack and finished with a 25-20 win to seal the match. Botkin had six kills and Hammons added three kills and six digs in the final set.

UP NEXT

• The Women of Troy run it back and face the Wahine for a second match on Saturday (Sept. 11) at Stan Sheriff Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m. HT (10 p.m. PT) and the match will be shown live on ESPN+.

MATCH NOTES

• USC fell to 18-23 all-time against the Wahine and to 13-12 when the teams meet on the islands.
• The Trojans dropped to 22-13 all-time in matches played in the Aloha State.
• The Women of Troy played their first match in Hawai'i since the 2011 NCAA regional championship; nearly 10 years.

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.