University Southern California Trojans
USC
26-1, 14-1Pac-12
Oregon
12-12, 6-9Pac-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 17 | 24 | 21 | 0 |
| USC | 25 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
No. 2 USC Overcomes Oregon For 3-0 Sweep
November 11, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 11, 2015
Final Stats | Notes | Box Score (PDF) 
LOS ANGELES -- The No. 2-ranked USC women's volleyball team (26-1, 14-1 Pac-12) produced a well-balanced attack to earn a three-set sweep (25-17, 26-24, 25-21) of Oregon (12-12, 6-9) at Galen Center on Wednesday, Nov. 11. The Women of Troy had five players with six kills or more and hit .306 (42k, 12e, 98att) in the match.
Freshman outside hitter Alyse Ford led the Trojans with 11 kills (3e, 21att, .381) and had two blocks. Senior outside hitter Samantha Bricio earned nine kills (5e, 31att, .129) and picked up seven digs and three blocks (one solo) on defense. Bricio also served three aces or more in a single match for the 40th time in her career and finished with 14.0 points.
Sophomore opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie had eight kills (1e, 19att .368) and served a pair of aces to go with two blocks. In the middle, senior blocker Alicia Ogoms hit .875 as she logged seven kills on eight swings without an error. Ogoms also led the team with five blocks. Junior middle blocker Elise Ruddins had six kills (2e, 14att, .286) to go with a service ace and two blocks.
The Trojans' .306 hitting percentage outpaced the Oregon .202 rate (39k, 18e, 104att) thanks to freshman setter Baylee Johnson and junior setter Alice Pizzasegola. Johnson finished with 24 assists and five digs while Pizzasegola dished out 14 assists to go with four digs. On defense, junior libero Taylor Whittingham had 14 digs to lead all players.
For the Ducks, Taylor Agost had 11 kills (3e, 21att, .381). Lindsey Vander Weide tallied nine kills (4e, 24att, .208). Kacey Nady led Oregon with five blocks and added six kills (2e, 11att, .364). Amanda Benson had 10 digs but surrendered four points with two service errors and two reception errors.
The teams struggled with each other to an eighth tie at nine-all in the first set, but the Trojans blew the frame open with an 11-4 run. Through the heart of the run, USC scored four straight points with Abercrombie and Ford getting kills sandwiched by two Bricio aces. The Trojans' block came together to turn away Martenne Bettendorf for a 23-16 lead but a pair of Oregon errors put an end to the Ducks' comeback bid and sealed USC's 25-17 win.
The second set was tied 18 times before a winner was decided in extra points. USC prevailed, 26-24, and made good on its first set point with a 3-0 run to close the frame. Ford and Ruddins teamed to block Agost for set point at 25-24 before Abercrombie slammed the door with her service ace. The lead changed nine times and Oregon went ahead by as many as two points at 23-21, but couldn't finish off the Trojans as it went down, 2-0.
After narrowly falling in the second set, the Ducks came out with a fire in their belly and terminated rallies quickly for a 5-1 lead. Oregon continued to stay ahead and claimed another four-point advantage at 14-10, but USC stayed the course and scored a 4-1 run to tie the score at 19 on a block by Abercrombie and Ogoms. The Trojans went ahead by a point as Abercrombie tipped a shot to the floor. USC rolled to a three-point lead, 23-20, before Ford obliterated the ball for a kill and match point at 24-21. Abercrombie swooped in for the kill to secure USC's 25-21 win and 3-0 sweep over Oregon.
USC remains home to host Oregon State (5-19, 3-11) at Galen Center tomorrow (Nov. 12) at 7:30 p.m. PT. To purchase single-match tickets for USC home matches, visit GetTrojanTix.com or call (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, Instagram, and Periscope.
MATCH NOTES
- USC improved to 51-11 all-time against Oregon and to 25-5 as the home team against the Ducks.
- The Trojans stayed undefeated and improved to 14-0 in matches at the Galen Center this season.
- Senior OH Samantha Bricio served three aces to mark the 40th time in her career that she has had a match with at least three service aces.
- Bricio ran her career total to 1,906 kills and is now just 12 kills from matching Alex Jupiter (1,918; 2008-11), the program's record holder.
- Bricio was held to her lowest kill total (9) this season; matched only by another nine-kill performance in a 3-0 win over Chicago State (Aug. 29).
- Junior libero Taylor Whittingham produced her 15th straight match in double-digit digs and finished with 14. It is her 25th match in double digit digs this season.
