Friday, December 1
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM
USC
vs
Central Arkansas
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
Photo by: Jon Kondrath
Trojans Open NCAA Run at Home Against Sugar Bears
November 28, 2017 | Women's Volleyball, Features
The Women of Troy are 17-3 in NCAA tournament matches at Galen Center
LOS ANGELES – The 10th-seeded USC women's volleyball team (22-9) opens its run in the 2017 NCAA tournament at home this weekend. This season, the Trojans are 10-2 in home matches. USC holds a 17-3 all-time mark when it plays NCAA tournament matches at Galen Center. The Women of Troy draw Southland Conference champion Central Arkansas (27-4) in their first-round match set for 7 p.m. PT, Friday (Dec. 1). In the other first-round match, West Coast Conference champion San Diego (24-4) faces Louisiana State (20-9) at 5 p.m. First-round winners meet at 5 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 2) in the second round.
The Trojans—making their 27th consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament (35th all-time)—are loaded with options at the pins and lean heavily on All-Pac-12 selections OH Khalia Lanier (4.10 kps) and OPP Brittany Abercrombie (3.15 kps). OPP Niki Withers (2.55 kps) and OH Brooke Botkin (1.98 kps) are also proven scoring threats in the Trojans' six-hitter offense. MB Jordan Dunn (0.99 bps) and MB Brittany Welsh (0.67 bps) hold down the middle of the net. Setters Reni Meyer-Whalley (6.19 aps) and Cindy Marina (5.25 aps) run USC's 6-2 system; and libero Victoria Garrick puts up 3.88 digs per set.
MATCH #32 • NCAA First Round Match
[10] No. 14 USC (22-9) vs. Central Arkansas (27-4)
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
Friday, Dec. 1 • 7 p.m. PT
Series Record: First meeting
Live Stats: sidearmstats.com/usc/wvball
Stream: Pac-12+ (Paul Duchesne)
Opponent Website: UCASports.com
Tickets: USCTrojans.com/tickets
FIRST SERVE
LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy earned a tough 3-1 win over No. 24 Oregon in Eugene, Ore., to ensure themselves of at least a share of second place in the Pac-12. It was USC's eighth win over a ranked opponent this season. Brittany Abercrombie led the attack with 17 kills (.439) and Khalia Lanier scored her seventh double-double of the season with 13 kills and 11 digs to go with three aces and four blocks. Lanier averaged nine kills per set against crosstown rival UCLA in the final match of the regular-season and matched her career high with 27 kills, but the Trojans came up short in a 3-0 sweep to the Bruins. Lanier also notched her eighth double-double (24th of her career) with 12 digs.
PAC-12 PRIZES: OPP Brittany Abercrombie and OH Khalia Lanier were named to the 2017 Pac-12 All-Conference team. Both are repeat winners. OPP Niki Withers received all-conference honorable mention; her first Pac-12 postseason award, Abercrombie and Lanier's selections bring USC's program total to 73 all-time certificates awarded to 37 different Trojans. Including all-conference selections preceding the Pac-12, Trojans now hold 96 all-league recognitions since 1977.
USC'S NCAA HISTORY: USC is 122-38 (.763) in all-time postseason matches and has a 76-31 (.710) record in the NCAA tournament. The Trojans are the owners of six national championships including three NCAA crowns (1981, 2002, '03). USC won the first-ever NCAA championship in 1981.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Trojans are 29-5 in NCAA first-round matches. The only five times that USC has not advanced out of the first round were in 1983, '87, '88, '89, and 2016.
AGAINST THE FIELD: The Women of Troy have already faced 12 teams that have made the 2017 NCAA field including No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Washington, No. 9 Creighton, No. 11 Utah, No. 15 UCLA, Colorado, Michigan, Northern Iowa, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State. USC went 11-7 in 18 matches against teams that made the tournament.
LINE DANCING: The Women of Troy have used 10 different starting lineups this season. No player can claim to have started all 31 matches, but three have appeared in all 119 sets for the Trojans: OPP Brittany Abercrombie, and setters Reni Meyer-Whalley and Cindy Marina. Defensive specialist Jenna Adams has played in all but one set for USC.
SHOW AND PROVE: In 13 of 17 years under the direction of head coach Mick Haley, the Trojans have posted at least the same or better records in the back half of league play as they have in the front half. USC completed the front portion of the Pac-12 schedule with a 7-3 record this season and matched it with another 7-3 mark through the back half.
900 CLUB: USC head coach Mick Haley ranks third in career NCAA Division I victories (954) 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 1,302-338-1 (.794) in all matches including men's and women's at Kellogg Community College.
NATIONALLY NOTABLE: Two Trojans have received national recognition for their performances this season. Senior OPP Brittany Abercrombie was named the espnW National Player of the Week on Oct. 3 and sophomore OH Khalia Lanier was chosen as the AVCA's National Player of the Week on Nov. 14. Lanier is USC's 10th all-time AVCA National Player of the Week award winner and the first since three-time All-American OH Samantha Bricio was selected on Nov. 10, 2015.
The Trojans—making their 27th consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament (35th all-time)—are loaded with options at the pins and lean heavily on All-Pac-12 selections OH Khalia Lanier (4.10 kps) and OPP Brittany Abercrombie (3.15 kps). OPP Niki Withers (2.55 kps) and OH Brooke Botkin (1.98 kps) are also proven scoring threats in the Trojans' six-hitter offense. MB Jordan Dunn (0.99 bps) and MB Brittany Welsh (0.67 bps) hold down the middle of the net. Setters Reni Meyer-Whalley (6.19 aps) and Cindy Marina (5.25 aps) run USC's 6-2 system; and libero Victoria Garrick puts up 3.88 digs per set.
MATCH #32 • NCAA First Round Match
[10] No. 14 USC (22-9) vs. Central Arkansas (27-4)
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
Friday, Dec. 1 • 7 p.m. PT
Series Record: First meeting
Live Stats: sidearmstats.com/usc/wvball
Stream: Pac-12+ (Paul Duchesne)
Opponent Website: UCASports.com
Tickets: USCTrojans.com/tickets
FIRST SERVE
- USC makes its 35th all-time appearance in the NCAA tournament; the program's 27th consecutive berth.
- The Trojans have reached 20 wins in a season for the 13th time in 17 years under head coach Mick Haley.
- USC is 149-32 (.823) in all-time matches at the Galen Center. The Trojans are 17-3 in NCAA tournament matches played at Galen as nine-time hosts of first- and second-round matches and a regional host in 2013.
- Sr. OPP Brittany Abercrombie, and So. OH Khalia Lanier were named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Team; Sr. OPP Niki Withers, honorable mention.
- USC owns eight wins over ranked opponents this season: No. 6 Washington, at No. 7 Creighton, at No. 11 UCLA, at No. 12 Utah, No. 15 Utah, No. 16 Michigan, at No. 24 Oregon, and No. 25 Colorado.
LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy earned a tough 3-1 win over No. 24 Oregon in Eugene, Ore., to ensure themselves of at least a share of second place in the Pac-12. It was USC's eighth win over a ranked opponent this season. Brittany Abercrombie led the attack with 17 kills (.439) and Khalia Lanier scored her seventh double-double of the season with 13 kills and 11 digs to go with three aces and four blocks. Lanier averaged nine kills per set against crosstown rival UCLA in the final match of the regular-season and matched her career high with 27 kills, but the Trojans came up short in a 3-0 sweep to the Bruins. Lanier also notched her eighth double-double (24th of her career) with 12 digs.
PAC-12 PRIZES: OPP Brittany Abercrombie and OH Khalia Lanier were named to the 2017 Pac-12 All-Conference team. Both are repeat winners. OPP Niki Withers received all-conference honorable mention; her first Pac-12 postseason award, Abercrombie and Lanier's selections bring USC's program total to 73 all-time certificates awarded to 37 different Trojans. Including all-conference selections preceding the Pac-12, Trojans now hold 96 all-league recognitions since 1977.
USC'S NCAA HISTORY: USC is 122-38 (.763) in all-time postseason matches and has a 76-31 (.710) record in the NCAA tournament. The Trojans are the owners of six national championships including three NCAA crowns (1981, 2002, '03). USC won the first-ever NCAA championship in 1981.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Trojans are 29-5 in NCAA first-round matches. The only five times that USC has not advanced out of the first round were in 1983, '87, '88, '89, and 2016.
AGAINST THE FIELD: The Women of Troy have already faced 12 teams that have made the 2017 NCAA field including No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Washington, No. 9 Creighton, No. 11 Utah, No. 15 UCLA, Colorado, Michigan, Northern Iowa, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State. USC went 11-7 in 18 matches against teams that made the tournament.
LINE DANCING: The Women of Troy have used 10 different starting lineups this season. No player can claim to have started all 31 matches, but three have appeared in all 119 sets for the Trojans: OPP Brittany Abercrombie, and setters Reni Meyer-Whalley and Cindy Marina. Defensive specialist Jenna Adams has played in all but one set for USC.
SHOW AND PROVE: In 13 of 17 years under the direction of head coach Mick Haley, the Trojans have posted at least the same or better records in the back half of league play as they have in the front half. USC completed the front portion of the Pac-12 schedule with a 7-3 record this season and matched it with another 7-3 mark through the back half.
900 CLUB: USC head coach Mick Haley ranks third in career NCAA Division I victories (954) 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 1,302-338-1 (.794) in all matches including men's and women's at Kellogg Community College.
NATIONALLY NOTABLE: Two Trojans have received national recognition for their performances this season. Senior OPP Brittany Abercrombie was named the espnW National Player of the Week on Oct. 3 and sophomore OH Khalia Lanier was chosen as the AVCA's National Player of the Week on Nov. 14. Lanier is USC's 10th all-time AVCA National Player of the Week award winner and the first since three-time All-American OH Samantha Bricio was selected on Nov. 10, 2015.
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Thursday, October 23
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Sunday, October 19
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Friday, October 17
Women's Volleyball - USC 0, UCLA 3: Highlights (10/11/25)
Saturday, October 11
