USC Women's Volleyball Downs No. 24 Colorado, 3-1

LOS ANGELES – The USC women's volleyball team (7-8, 3-3 Pac-12) defeated No. 24-ranked Colorado (11-4, 2-4) in four sets, 25-19, 27-25, 20-25, 25-23, at Galen Center on Sunday, Oct. 10.
 
KEY PLAYERS

• Gr. OH Shannon Scully had her highest output as a Trojan and finished with 15 kills (3e, 36att) to hit .333. She also had a solo block, two service aces, two assists, and six digs.
• Gr. MB Candice Denny put up a season-high 15 kills (3e, 19att) and reached a new career high with a .632 hitting percentage to go with three blocks and two service aces.
• Gr. OH Brooke Botkin had 11 kills with 12 digs to log her fifth double-double of the season (33rd career) to go with two service aces and a block.
• Jr. OPP Emilia Weske added 11 kills with five blocks and two service aces.
• Sr. S Raquel Lázaro had her seventh double-double of the fall (46th career) with 39 assists and 15 digs. She also logged two kills, two service aces, and a block.
• So. LIB Sam Hastings led all players with 19 digs and added five assists with two kills.
• For Colorado, Maya Tabron led with 18 kills (8e, 47att, .213) and had a double-double with 16 digs. Jahara Campbell put up 13 kills (3e, 40att, .250) and Meegan Hart added 10 kills (2e, 20att, .400) with three blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Colorado led by as many as three early in the first set, but the Trojans used a 6-1 run to take a four-point lead, 16-12. A 5-0 run later in the set put USC on the doorstep with a 24-16 lead. The Buffaloes saved three set points before the Trojans closed out a 25-19 win behind six kills from Scully and four service aces as a team.
• The Women of Troy scored the first five points of the second set and had five-point leads several times as they maintained control of the set. Scully tallied five more kills, but Tabron had seven kills as CU roared all the way back to tie the score at 24-all. It took five more rallies before Lázaro's kill sealed a 27-25 win for the Trojans.
• USC hit .270 in the third set (15k, 5e, 37att) and the score was tied 15 times, but Colorado stepped on the gas to pull away at the end of the frame and got a 25-20 win.
• The Trojans came out and controlled the fourth set for a big 19-9 lead. Denny had six of her kills and Botkin added four more, but the Buffaloes used a 12-2 run to knot the score at 21-all. USC responded and got a kill from Denny and two from Weske including the match-winner to close the books on the Buffs.

UP NEXT

• The Trojans head to the desert next weekend for two matches. USC takes on Arizona State (8-9, 1-5 Pac-12) on Friday (Oct. 15) in Tempe, Ariz., at 7 p.m. PT and then goes to Tucson for a Sunday-afternoon (Oct. 17) matchup with Arizona (11-6, 3-3) at McKale Center at 1 p.m. The Trojans and Wildcats will play live on Pac-12 Networks.

MATCH NOTES

• USC improved to 21-1 all-time against Colorado and to 12-0 in home matches against CU.
• The Trojans extended their winning streak over the Buffaloes to seven straight matches.
• The Women of Troy improved to 174-48 all-time (.784) at Galen Center.

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.