USC Women's Volleyball Set for Desert Trek

LOS ANGELES – The USC women's volleyball team (10-4, 4-0 Pac-12) rides a nine-match win streak into a pair of pivotal Pac-12 matches in the desert this weekend. The streak is both the longest win streak under fourth-year head coach Brad Keller and USC's longest since it had a 22-match streak to open the 2015 season. While USC is undefeated at home (6-0), the Women of Troy are 4-4 away from Galen Center this season but look buck that trend this week having won their last six matches in the state of Arizona.

MATCH #15 • Friday, Oct. 6 • 6 p.m. PT
USC (10-4, 4-0) at No. 23 Arizona State (15-1, 3-1)
Desert Financial Arena • Tempe, Ariz.
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 75-14-1 (.833)
LAST MEETING: W 3-1 (Nov. 4, 2022 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 5 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 9-1
LIVE STREAM: Pac-12 Insider
OPPONENT WEBSITE: TheSunDevils.com

MATCH #16 • Sunday, Oct. 8 • 12 p.m. PT
USC (10-4, 4-0) at Arizona (5-10, 0-4)
McKale Center • Tucson, Ariz.
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 71-22 (.763)
LAST MEETING: W 3-2 (Nov. 6, 2022 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 9 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 9-1
LIVE STREAM: Arizona Live Stream
OPPONENT WEBSITE: ArizonaWildcats.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

USC is led by fourth-year head coach Brad Keller who has the unique experience of having coached both men's and women's programs at both USC and UCLA. Overall, Keller is 52-38 (.578) as the Trojans' head coach.
The Trojans' nine-match win streak is the longest under Keller and is the longest since USC had a 22-match win streak to open the 2015 season.
USC is 61-25 all-time in the state of Arizona and has won its last six matches in the Copper State. The last time the Trojans lost in Arizona, the Sun Devils won a four-setter in Tempe on Nov. 18, 2018.
The Women of Troy are a combined 146-36-1 all-time against the Sun Devils and Wildcats and have won 11 straight against the two teams.
First-year Arizona State head coach JJ Van Niel previously served as the Trojans' associate head coach for five seasons (2018-22).
Arizona So. OH Jordan Wilson played her first collegiate year (2022) at USC and was chosen to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team as a Trojan.
Sr. OH Skylar Fields has reached double-digit kills in 13 matches. She was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 11) for the fifth time in her career and leads the Pac-12 in kills (5.07 kps) and points (5.51 pps).

LAST TIME OUT: USC extended its win streak to nine matches and stayed undefeated at home (6-0) on the season with a 3-2 victory over Utah and a four-set win over Colorado. OH Skylar Fields led the Trojans in kills in each match with 19 against the Utes and 23 against the Buffaloes. USC recorded its third and fourth matches in double-digit service aces this season (10 and 11) and got a season-high five aces from S Mia Tuaniga in its win over CU.

TIME TO PAC IT UP: The Women of Troy will be playing their final season in the Pac-12 Conference. On June 30, 2022, USC and UCLA both announced that the schools' athletic programs would join the Big Ten Conference in 2024. Since that time, Oregon and Washington also made similar announcements and all four teams will now compete in the Big Ten for most sports.

COPPER STATE REUNION: The Trojans will see familiar faces when they trek the desert for matches at ASU and Arizona. First-year Sun Devil head coach JJ Van Niel spent five seasons at USC as the Trojans' associate head coach (2018-22) before taking his first appointment as a collegiate head coach. Following a Pac-12 All-Freshman season at USC, Arizona OH Jordan Wilson transferred to join the Wildcats. A pair of Sun Devils were former high school teammates of Trojans. MB Olivia Johnson played with LIB Gala Trubint at Scripps Ranch HS in San Diego; and MB Claire Jeter is a fellow graduate of Ridge Point HS in Missouri City, Texas, where OH Skylar Fields also prepped.

DESERT DWELLERS: Eight USC players have come from the state of Arizona. Two-time All-American OH Khalia Lanier (2016-19) hailed from Scottsdale, Ariz., and three-time All-American MB Emily Adams (2001-04) is from Phoenix. Yvonne Lewis (1984-87) was the first Trojan to come from the Copper State and the only one from Tucson where she prepped at Sahuaro HS. USC is 61-25 all-time in the state of Arizona with a 28-16 record in Tucson and 33-9 in Tempe.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Skylar Fields

Gala Trubint

Mia Tuaniga

Jordan Wilson