No. 15 Women of Troy Bring Hot Streak Into Desert

LOS ANGELES – The 15th-ranked Trojans (12-3, 4-0 Pac-12) carry a season-long five-match winning streak into a pivotal pair of desert matches this weekend. USC takes on Arizona (7-6, 1-3) on Friday (Oct. 6) and Arizona State (10-6, 0-4) on Saturday (Oct. 7) on back-to-back nights. Both are set to begin at 6 p.m. PT.

The Trojans share the perch atop the Pac-12 standings with Stanford as the only two undefeated teams through two weekends (4-0). Last year, USC started league play 0-2. USC split matches in the desert in 2016 but will need to earn two victories this weekend if it intends to extend on its streak.

The Trojans are stacked at the pins and rely heavily on OH Khalia Lanier (4.32 kps) and OPP Brittany Abercrombie (3.07 kps) to drive the attack. Alyse Ford (2.60 kps), Niki Withers (2.35 kps), and Daley Krage (1.80 kps) are also scoring threats. Senior captain Jordan Dunn and Brittany Welsh occupy the middle of the net. Setters Reni Meyer-Whalley (6.32 aps) and Cindy Marina (5.39 aps) run USC's 6-2 system in which libero Victoria Garrick puts up 4.02 digs per set.

LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy extended their winning streak to five matches with a pair of impressive home stands against Washington State (3-1) and sixth-ranked Washington (3-0). It was the first time the Trojans had swept the Huskies since Nov. 5, 2011, and snapped a two-match losing streak against UW. Sophomore OH Khalia Lanier scored a career-high 29.5 points in the win over the Cougars as she led the team with 23 kills and a career-best five service aces. Senior OPP Brittany Abercrombie catalyzed the Trojans' win over the Huskies as she powered USC through a 25-20 first-set win with eight kills. She finished with 13 kills and a season-best eight digs; and was later named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row.

1,000 SHIPS: USC's win over Arizona State on Oct. 5, 2016, was the program's 1,000th all-time victory. The Trojans became just the 17th program in NCAA Division I women's volleyball history to reach the 1K milestone. USC is the owner of six national championships (three AIAW and three NCAA) and has won eight conference crowns including two since the inception of the Pac-12 (2011 and 2015). Head coach Mick Haley has led USC to each of its 100-win milestones since the program's 600th victory. The Trojans won their 800th, 900th, and 1,000th all in home matches under Haley's direction.

BUT FIRST, LET ME TAKE A #SELFIE: Get social with the Women of Troy this season. Fans can follow and interact with the USC women's volleyball team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Periscope by searching for @USCWomensVolley.

900 CLUB: USC head coach Mick Haley ranks third in career NCAA Division I victories (944) among active coaches behind only Penn State's Russ Rose and Navy's Larry Bock. Haley is in his 34th season as a Division I coach, but has 41 years of overall coaching experience and is 1,292-332-1 (.796) in all matches including men's and women's at Kellogg Community College.

FIRST SERVE

USC is on a five-match winning streak; the longest streak of the season.
The Women of Troy are ranked a season-high No. 15 in the AVCA poll.
The Trojans are one of two undefeated teams in the Pac-12 standings (Stanford; 4-0). USC opened 2016 with an 0-2 mark in league matches.
USC split matches in Arizona last season. The Trojans swept the Sun Devils and lost in a five-set match to the Wildcats.
The Trojans are 53-23 all-time in matches played in the state of Arizona.
Sr. OPP Brittany Abercrombie repeated as Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and was named the espnW National Player of the Week.

Players Mentioned

Brittany Abercrombie

Jordan Dunn

Alyse Ford

Victoria Garrick

Daley Krage

Khalia Lanier

Cindy Marina

Reni Meyer-Whalley

Brittany Welsh

Niki Withers