No. 20 Trojans Rebuff Buffs For 3-0 Sweep

Friday, October 10

Galen Center

6:00 PM

USC

Colorado

No. 20 Trojans Rebuff Buffs For 3-0 Sweep

October 10, 2014 | Women's Volleyball

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Oct. 10, 2014

Final Stats | Notes | Box Score (PDF)

LOS ANGELES - The 20th-ranked USC women's volleyball team (9-6, 2-3 Pac-12) completed a 3-0 sweep (25-20, 25-18, 25-19) over Colorado (10-7, 2-3) on Friday, Oct. 10, at Galen Center. The Women of Troy honored one of their all-time greats at halftime and lifted the No. 7 of three-time All-American middle blocker Bibiana Candelas to the rafters.

It was another star turn for Trojan junior outside hitter Samantha Bricio who led the way with 19.0 points on 14 kills (3e, 30att, .367), four service aces, and two block assists. The four aces marked the 23rd time in her career that she has produced at least three in a single match. It also gave her 174 in her career to move her into sole possession of first place in USC history and into second in Pac-12 history. For good measure, Bricio collected 10 digs to log her seventh double-double of the season and the 29th of her career.

USC was efficient with the ball and produced 42 kills (10e) on 90 swings for a .356 hitting percentage. Trojan setters Alice Pizzasegola (25 assists) and Hayley Crone (8 assists) kept the offense moving. Sophomore outside hitter Ebony Nwanebu had eight kills (4e, 19att, .211) while senior outside hitter Emily Young added seven kills without an error (11att) for a .636 hitting percentage.

Freshman outside hitter Lauryn Gillis finished with five kills (1e, 12att, .333) while middle blockers Alicia Ogoms (4k, 1e, 7att, .429) and Hannah Schraer (4k, 0e, 9att, .444) had four kills and three blocks each. Schraer also served her first ace of the season. Defensively, the Trojans got 11 digs from sophomore libero Taylor Whittingham who notched a pair of service aces of her own.

For the Buffs, Taylor Simpson led the way with 12 kills (3e, 29att), a .310 hitting percentage, and 11 digs for a double-double. Neira Ortiz Ruiz had six kills (3e, 18att, .167).

Colorado went up by as many as four points in the first set and led, 14-10, before Bricio pounded a shot to the ground on an inside set from Crone. Bricio went back to serve and earned the ace, but the Buffs maintained their distance for a while until Nwanebu went through the block to get USC within a point at 17-16. That point set off a seven-point run of serves by Pizzasegola. Ogoms and Young teamed to block an attack by Ortiz Ruiz to give USC its last lead at 18-17. Bricio rose up to crush a pipe set from Pizzasegola for the point and a 19-17 lead and then turned a broken play into points as she knocked down a kill off a set from Gillis for the 22-17 Trojan lead. The Buffs tried to stem the tide but the Trojans got a kill from Gillis and another from Bricio to grab set point at 24-20. Simpson's final attempt went wide to seal USC's 25-20 win. The Trojans hit .355 in the first set with 14 kills (3e, 31att) and held the Buffs to a .118 hitting rate (10k, 6e, 34att).

The Buffs scored first in the second set, but USC went up, 2-1, on a big block by Bricio and Schraer, and never looked back. The Trojans opened up an 8-5 lead on a service ace by Schraer, and then cleared the six-point mark at 17-11 with back-to-back aces by Bricio and a kill from Nwanebu. Colorado cut the lead to four on a block, but back-to-back kills by Gillis gave USC a seven-point lead at 21-14 and forced the Buffs to burn their final timeout. Colorado tried to make a game of it, but the Women of Troy claimed set point at 24-16 when Bricio terminated down the line. The Buffs survived two points but Schraer earned the final point of a 25-18 win on a quick set from Pizzasegola. USC picked up 14 more kills in the second frame and hit .458 (3e, 24att). Colorado hit .292 with 10 kills (3e, 24att).

USC never trailed in the final set and came away with a 25-19 win to complete its 3-0 sweep. The Trojans scored six straight to climb out to a quick 7-1 lead; a run that included a pair of kills by Bricio and Whittingham's second service ace of the night. The Buffaloes chipped away at the USC lead and came within one point at 8-7, but the Trojans pulled away again and went up by five at 17-12 when Young scored on a crosscourt shot. Back-to-back USC blocks earned the Trojans a 19-13 lead before Nwanebu and Ogoms paired to knock down a Colorado attack and give USC a seven-point lead at 21-14. The Buffs fought to get back into the game, with three kills on four rallies, but Gillis scored to end the USC slump. Colorado scored two more points before Young took a point off high hands and Bricio tooled the Buff block to seal the Trojan victory. USC collected 15 kills (4e) on 34 swings to hit .324 in the third set and steadied its defense to hold the Buffaloes to a .171 hitting rate (12k, 6e) on 35 attempts.

Next, the Trojans take on Utah (11-4, 1-3) in a 7 p.m. PT match on Saturday, Oct. 11, at Galen Center. Fans can purchase tickets at GetTrojanTix.com or by calling 213-740-GOSC. For more information on the USC women's volleyball team and a complete schedule, please visit USCTrojans.com and follow @USCWomensVolley on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

MATCH NOTES

USC improved to 9-0 all-time against Colorado and now has won the last 20 straight sets over the Buffaloes.
The Trojans won back-to-back matches for the first time since the team put together six straight wins to open the season between Aug. 29 and Sept. 6.
Tonight's victory is the 949th in USC program history. The team's next win will be its milestone 950th.
Junior OH Samantha Bricio served four aces to mark the 23rd time in her career that she has had a match with three aces or more.
Bricio's four aces gives her 174 in her career and moved her into sole possession of first place in USC's record books for career aces. She also moved into second place in Pac-12 career history ahead of Stanford's Logan Tom (171 aces, 1999-02) and Oregon's Heather Myers (173 aces, 2007-10).
With 46 aces this season, Bricio moved into a seventh-place tie for single-season aces in USC history with April Ross who had the same total in 2002.
Bricio had 14 kills and 10 digs to post her seventh double-double of the season; the 29th of her career.
Sophomore libero Taylor Whittingham posted her fifth straight match in double digits for digs. It is her team-high 11th such match this season.
The Women of Troy honored three-time All-American middle blocker Bibiana Candelas by lifting her No. 7 to the rafters at Galen Center.