USC dominates in season-opening wins


In typical USC fashion, the women’s volleyball team steamrolled the competition in the season-opening Mortar Board Premier Tournament last weekend. After facing stiff competition in the opening match against No. 16 Purdue, the Women of Troy went on to dominate the following three matches, taking all nine sets they played en route to claiming the tournament crown.

Airborne · Senior outside hitter Sara Shaw played in every set of USC’s tournament victory in the Mortar Board Premier. Shaw walked away with 21 kills and 17 digs in wins over Purdue, Western Kentucky and Alabama A&M. - Daily Trojan file photo

Airborne · Senior outside hitter Sara Shaw played in every set of USC’s tournament victory in the Mortar Board Premier. Shaw walked away with 21 kills and 17 digs in wins over Purdue, Western Kentucky and Alabama A&M. – Daily Trojan file photo

USC came into the tournament with lofty expectations, featuring a returning All-American in senior libero Natalie Hagglund and a top-five national preseason ranking, but the team’s true talent level came through on the court against the Purdue Boilermakers.

After hitting a dismal .121 in a first-set loss to Purdue, who hosted the tournament, the Women of Troy turned things around in the second set. Sophomore outside hitter Samantha Bricio led the charge with stellar offensive play, posting 12 kills on the match. USC led by as many as seven points in the set, and despite a last-minute run by the Boilermakers, USC shut the door with a kill by senior outside hitter Sara Shaw.

The third set of the match was highly contested, seeing ten tied scores and five lead changes, but with the score tied at 20, the Women of Troy pulled ahead, as standout freshman outside hitter Ebony Nwanebu earned a kill to reach a 22-20 lead and assisted on a block to pull away in the set. Bricio ensured the victory with a kill on the 25th point and the stage was set for USC to win their first match of the year in the next set.

In the fourth set, the Trojans were able to capitalize on Purdue errors in the passing game, pulling ahead to an early 15-8 lead. Offensively, the trio of Bricio, Nwanebu and Shaw was enough to make quick work of the Boilermakers, as Hagglund and junior middle blocker Hannah Schraer were integral in setting up kills. With the offensive explosion setting the pace, USC held on to win by a final score of 25-16.

The hard work wasn’t over for the Women of Troy, however, as they had to face another top-25 team in Western Kentucky the next day. The Hilltoppers were no match for USC, but gave the Women of Troy all they could handle in the early goings. WKU was feisty in the first set, making the opposition earn every point as USC grinded out a 25-23 victory. USC trailed by five at two separate times in the set, but fought its way back to the eventual                                        two-point win with gritty blocking and opportune kills.

Though the first set was a nail-biter, the second two sets of the match proved to be more lopsided, as the USC defense clamped down and never let up. In the second set, USC allowed only nine kills en route to a 25-18 victory. The team won the third and decisive set by the same score, cruising to victory after sophomore middle blocker Alicia Ogoms tied the score at eight apiece early in the set. Bricio led the team with 15 points (good for a .444 hitting percentage) in the match, and Nwanebu led all players with 13 kills.

With the first two matches wrapped up, all the Women of Troy needed to do to clinch the tournament championship was defeat unranked Alabama A&M. USC lived up to the challenge, as the team blasted its way to an impressive .435 hitting percentage and racked up 15 service aces. Defensively, the team held the Lady Bulldogs to an .043 hitting percentage en route to a three-set sweep, winning the sets by finals of 25-13, 25-14 and 25-9.

Bricio, Hagglund and Nwanebu were named to the all-tournament team for their outstanding play during the weekend, and Bricio took home the title of tournament MVP.

USC’s next challenge will come in the form of the Marquette Challenge, where it will face Texas Christian University and Marquette in Milwaukee, Wisc. on Friday. From there the team will travel south to face the Huskies of Northern Illinois Univeristy in DeKalb, Ill. on Saturday.

 

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