USC defeats Cal, falls to No. 1 Stanford

The USC women’s volleyball team (12-8, 5-5 Pac-12) made the trek up to Northern California last week to take on Pac-12 rivals Cal (8-12, 0-10) and Stanford (20-0, 10-0 Pac-12). The Women of Troy split the road trip, pulling out a win against the unranked Bears, but falling to the No. 1 Cardinal.

On Oct. 22, visiting USC cruised to a 3-1 victory over Cal at the Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. After winning the first set, the Women of Troy gave up the second set to the Bears. USC then won two straight sets to clinch the victory.

The Women of Troy and the Bears were practically neck-and-neck in the first set, with three lead changes and five ties. In fact, neither team led by more than three points until USC took a 22-18 advantage on a kill by junior outside hitter Samantha Bricio. The team would lead by as many as five points before claiming a 25-21 win in the first set. The Women of Troy tallied 16 kills, 21 digs and three team blocks compared to Cal’s 14 kills, 16 digs and two team block.

The Bears turned things around in the second set, however, winning 25-17. Despite having the same number of digs and more team blocks than the Bears, USC failed to stop Cal defensively and never had a lead. The Bears’ offensive dominance in the second set could be seen in their kill numbers: Cal had 17 kills, nearly double that of the Women of Troy.

USC did not let poor play in the second set deter them and got back to their winning ways. Offensively, the third set was more evenly matched than the 25-19 score might indicate, as both teams had 13 kills and 13 assists. The difference was the Women of Troy’s defense and serving. USC had three more team blocks than the Bears in the third set. Additionally, the visitors had three service aces compared to none for the Bears.

The Women of Troy used their momentum from the third set to carry them to a 25-21 victory in the fourth and final set. USC opened up the set with a 9-3 lead, but the Bears came roaring back, eventually taking a 17-16 lead. A few plays later, however, the Women of Troy retook the lead permanently on an attack error by Cal middle blocker Lillian Schonewise. Soon after, the Women of Troy finished the match victorious on a service ace by Bricio.

Four days later, the Women of Troy sought an upset victory over undefeated Stanford. It was not to be, however, as USC fell in four sets, ending a three-match winning streak against the Cardinal.

The Women of Troy had a positive start to the match, taking the first set by a slim 25-23 margin. The set was close throughout, with 11 ties and nine lead changes. USC had fewer kills and assists in the first set than Stanford, but the Women of Troy held slight edges in the digs and hitting percentage categories.

Despite the great start, USC was unable to beat Stanford the rest of the match, losing three straight sets. The Women of Troy didn’t lose by more than six points in any of the three sets, but the Cardinal closed out the tightly contested sets with the mental strength of a No.1-ranked squad.

Bricio led all players with 19 kills, also picking up 16 digs in the match. Nwanebu had 15 kills and also recorded 16 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Elise Ruddins performed well, tallying nine kills and adding two service aces.

USC’s next match will be at home on Wednesday, Oct. 29 against No. 2 Washington (21-0, 10-0). Washington beat the Women of Troy a few weeks ago in Seattle.

Though USC is still trying to find a way to beat a ranked team, head coach Mick Haley says his team is performing well in his book.

“The team is flying right now,” Haley said.