Volleyball’s Comeback Fades at USC

LOS ANGELES – The Oregon State volleyball team battled back to force four sets at USC, but ultimately fell to the Trojans, 3-1, in Pac-12 play Friday night by scores of 22-25, 14-25, 25-21, and 17-25.
 
It looked like the Beavers were primed to take the first set, leading 17-14 until the Trojans made a push for a comeback by going on a 11-5 run to claim the 1-0 advantage. USC rode its momentum into the second, attacking at a .310 clip while holding the Beavers to just nine kills off 35 attempts with nine errors to claim the second set, 25-14.
 
After trailing by five in the third, the Beavers mounted a rally by going on a 12-3 run to grab a 14-10 lead. Four kills by senior Maddie Goings and two freshman Kateryna Tkachenko kills helped boost the OSU lead to 21-18, eventually forcing a fourth set in Los Angeles as the Beavers took a 25-21 third set.
 
OSU looked to keep the momentum going in the fourth, but the Trojans were just too strong riding a late 6-1 run as USC took set four, 25-17. The Beavers attacked at their best in the final set at a .300 rate off 13 kills and a match-low four errors in that set but 16 Trojan kills and two Trojan errors helped seal the victory.
 
On the night, Goings led OSU with her fourth straight double-digit kill game of 16 off 41 attempts while also finishing with 11 digs to tally her first double-double of the season. Two other Beavers added double-digits in the kill category, including freshmen Tkachenko (12) and Vivian Light (11).  
 
Senior Grace Massey led all players with 19 digs as the Beaverton, Ore. native needs just 20 more to become the all-time OSU digs record holder. Freshmen Izzi Szulczewski and Ashlyn Beaver tied for a team-high 19 assists on the night.
 
As a team, the Beavers attacked at a .150 rate while the Trojans used a .221 hitting percentage in four sets. USC held the slight advantage in kills, 48-46, and assists, 44-43 while OSU led in digs, 59-55, and blocks, 9-8.

UP NEXT:
The Beavers remain on the road Sunday, Oct. 24, travelling to No. 17 UCLA. The Beavers and Bruins matchup at 12:00 p.m. in Los Angeles, Calif. and it can be found via UCLA live stream.
 
For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverVBall, by Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverVBall or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverVBall.
 
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