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USC Women's Volleyball Hosts Mountain Schools in First Pac-12 Home Matches

by usctrojans.com
Oct 4, 2021

LOS ANGELES - The USC women's volleyball team (6-7, 2-2 Pac-12) hosts its first Pac-12 home matches of the season when No. 15 Utah (10-3, 3-1) visits Galen Center for a Friday-night match-up (Oct. 8 - 7 p.m. PT) and No. 24 Colorado (11-2, 2-2) comes out for a Sunday matinee (Oct. 10 - 1 p.m.). The Women of Troy will play only their fifth and sixth home contests this fall after playing nine of their first 13 matches on the road. USC is 2-2 at home but both losses have come in narrow five-set decisions. Overall, the Trojans hold a .786 all-time winning percentage at Galen Center since the arena opened in 2006. Sunday is Dads and Daughters Day with special ticket packages available at USCTrojans.com/promos.

MATCH #14 • Friday, October 8 • 7 p.m. PT
USC (6-7, 2-2) vs. No. 15 Utah (10-3, 3-1)
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 18-8 (.692)
LAST MEETING: L 2-3 (Feb. 14, 2021 • Salt Lake City, Utah)
STREAK: Lost 5 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 4-6
TV/STREAM: Pac-12 Networks (Jim Watson)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: UtahUtes.com

MATCH #15 • Sunday, October 10 • 1 p.m. PT
USC (6-7, 2-2) vs. No. 24 Colorado (11-2, 2-2)
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 20-1 (.952)
LAST MEETING: W 3-0 (April 3, 2021 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 6 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 9-1
TV/STREAM: USC Live Stream
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CUBuffs.com

FIRST SERVE

  • USC is under the direction of second-year head coach Brad Keller who has also served as an assistant coach for the USC men's volleyball team.
  • Gr. OH Brooke Botkin was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 Team and ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in kills (4.06 kps) and sixth in points (4.40 pps).
  • Sr. S Raquel Lázaro leads the Pac-12 for service aces (0.40 saps).
  • USC played nine of its first 13 matches, including its first four Pac-12 contests away from home this season.
  • The Trojans are 173-47 (.786) all-time at Galen Center since 2006.
  • Gr. OH Shannon Scully played her freshman season at Utah (2017).
  • Last season--played in the spring--USC faced Utah twice in Salt Lake City and hosted Colorado for two matches at Galen Center. This season, the teams will play one at home and one on the road against each opponent.
  • Utah's five-match win streak over the Trojans is the second longest active streak by an opponent (Stanford, eight straight).
  • Pac-12 head coaches picked USC to finish sixth in a preseason poll.

LAST TIME OUT: USC went to the Pacific Northwest and returned home with a split. The Trojans defeated Washington State in four sets and then claimed the first set against No. 13 Washington before falling to the Huskies in four. OH Brooke Botkin put up her 13th straight match in double-digit kills against UW and advanced past USC great April Ross into seventh place all-time in school history for points (1,443.0). Setter Raquel Lázaro also continued her ascent in the USC records as she moved into fifth all-time for career assists (3,705). Lázaro racked up her fifth and sixth double-doubles of the season and upped her career total to 45 double-doubles. Freshman MB Tyrah Ariail made her presence known with a .545 hitting night with 13 kills against the Cougars to go with five blocks.

FEELING SALTY: While USC leads its all-time series with Utah by an 18-8 margin, the Utes have won five straight over the Trojans and own wins in six of the last eight meetings. Prior to 2016, USC was 16-2 against the Utes. In two meetings in Salt Lake City in March, USC dropped a 3-0 sweep to the front-running Utes but was without its entire starting lineup. In the second match, the Trojans pushed Utah to the brink before falling in a tough five-set road match.
 
BUFFALO WOES: The Trojans are 20-1 all-time against Colorado. USC won the first 14 matches with the Buffaloes but had that streak snapped in a 3-0 loss in Boulder in 2017. Since that loss, the Trojans have regained control of the series with six straight victories. At home, USC is 11-0 against CU.
 
USED TO BE A UTE: Graduate OH Shannon Scully transferred and joined the Trojans for her final season of eligibility from Pepperdine, where she played three seasons (2018-20), but before that, she played her freshman year at Utah. Scully appeared in 32 matches with the Utes and collected 295 digs and had 32 kills and 25 service aces. While with the Waves, she faced Utah once (Sept. 13, 2019) and had 13 kills, nine digs, and five blocks against her old team.
 
HOME, SWEET HOME: USC is 173-47 (.786) all-time at Galen Center. The Trojans went 12-1 in home matches in 2011 and completed the 2012 home schedule with a 17-1 mark. In 2007, USC was 19-0 at home on the way to an appearance in the NCAA national semifinal match. The Trojans are 20-4 all-time at Galen Center in NCAA tournament matches. The four losses were to Hawai'i (2008 and 2009) and San Diego (2018) each time in the second round; and to Washington in the 2013 NCAA Regional Final. 
 

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