USC
California
No. 19 USC Tops California in Midweek Meeting
October 23, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
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Oct. 23, 2014 Final Stats | Notes | Box Score (PDF) 
Nwanebu logged her second straight 20-kill match and hit .315 (3e, 54att) to go with a pair of service aces, two blocks, and seven digs. Bricio notched her 10th double-double of the season (32nd of her career) with 18 kills (6e, 54att, .222) and 17 digs to go with three service aces, and three blocks (one solo).
USC also made use of its middle attack as junior Alicia Ogoms finished with five kills (1e, 11att, .364) and two blocks, and senior Hannah Schraer added four kills (1e, 11att, .273) to go with six blocks (three solo). Defensively, the Trojans were anchored by sophomore libero Taylor Whittingham who rallied to pick up a career-best 31 digs; the first 30-dig match by a Trojan since All-American Natalie Hagglund had 30 in the NCAA regional final on Dec. 14, 2013.
Sophomore Alice Pizzasegola matched her career high with 36 assists and senior setter/hitter Emily Young totaled 14 assists to help the Women of Troy to a .230 hitting percentage (55k, 18e) on 161 attacks.
For the Golden Bears, Christina Higgins had 18 kills (4e, 50att, .280) and Lillian Shonewise added 14 kills (4e, 32att, .312) with four blocks. Nikki Gombar had seven kills (0e, 15att, .467) to go with 18 digs and a service ace. Libero Maddy Kerr also had 18 digs and Sarah Cole added 14 digs to the Cal defensive effort. Setter Alyssa Jensen dished out 45 assists and had nine digs and three kills.
The score was tied five times in the first set and the lead changed hands three times but USC broke the final tie at 15-all on a kill from Schraer. Schraer and Young then teamed up for a block that sent the Trojans on their way to a 23-18 lead. Nwanebu put set point in the Trojans' hands, but the Bears saved a pair before Nwanebu went terminal for the final point in a 25-21 first-set win.
The Bears never trailed in the second set and used six straight serves by Kerr to rip open an 11-4 lead. The Trojans tried to close the gap but never got any closer than five points before Cal closed out a 25-17 win to equalize the match at one set apiece. USC turned the tables on the Bears in the third set and never trailed en route to a 25-19 win. The Trojans created a six-point lead, 14-8, on back-to-back kills by Bricio, and rolled out to a seven-point lead at 20-13 on back-to-back blocks. Just like she did in the first set, Nwanebu's kill earned set point before her final swing handed USC the win.
Bricio got hot in the fourth and served five straight to give the Trojans a six-point lead at 8-2, but the Bears chipped away and got within two points at 12-10 when Higgins put a ball to the ground. Cal stuck around long enough and knotted the score at 16-all, then again at 17 and 18, but the Trojans' serves started to fall starting with an ace from Whittingham for a 20-18 lead. Nwanebu pushed USC's lead to 23-20 with a kill, and Ogoms took a set from Pizzasegola and earned the point for a 24-21 lead. Bricio went back and delivered an ace to close out a 25-21 win to seal a Trojan victory.
The Women of Troy will return to the Bay Area for a Sunday (Oct. 26) match with top-ranked Stanford (18-0, 8-0 Pac-12) at 5 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Networks. 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 53-11 all-time against California with a 22-7 mark as the road team. The Trojans extended their winning streak over the Golden Bears to seven straight; now with five straight wins in Berkeley. The Trojans are now 9-1 in their last 10 meetings with Cal.
- Junior OH Samantha Bricio logged her 10th double-double of the season (32nd career) as she finished with 18 kills and 17 digs.
- With three service aces, Bricio had her 26th career-match with three aces or more. She upped her season total to 63 aces, which ranks second (85, Bricio, 2013) in the USC single-season record books and moves her into a seventh-place tie in Pac-12 single-season history (Ashley Ivey, Stanford, 2002).
- Sophomore OH Ebony Nwanebu matched her season high with 20 kills.
- Sophomore libero Taylor Whittingham recorded a new career high with 31 digs and had her ninth straight match in double digits for digs; her team-leading 15th such match this season.
