Bricio and volleyball team lead the nation


At a school known for a tradition of football dominance and excellence in academics, it can be easy to forget that USC gives students a lot of other things to be proud of. USC has one of the best women’s volleyball teams in the country, and right now they are the best. The Women of Troy are riding an undefeated season to the No. 1 spot on the AVCA poll.

Senior outside hitter Samantha Bricio is largely responsible for her team’s success and has been named Pac-12 Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week four times in a span of five weeks, something that has never been done before. That brings Bricio’s award count to seven in her career, making her the most decorated women’s volleyball player in USC history. On Sept. 30 Bricio was named espnW National Player of the Week. That was her second national weekly award, as she was named AVCA National Player of the Week as a freshman.

Bricio is surrounded by a group of equally talented teammates who have contributed to a perfect season. Senior middle blocker Alicia Ogoms has earned some recognition of her own, winning her first career award in the form of the Pac-12 Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week award on Sept. 28.

The pair of seniors have led their team to wins over Pac-12 rivals UCLA, Stanford and, most recently, Washington. The win handed the Huskies their first loss and advanced USC to the No. 1 spot.

The win against Washington was especially significant for Bricio, who had a career-high 27 kills, moving up to fourth all-time in career kills at USC. She now has 1,695 in her career, 30th in Pac-12 history, and needs just five to become just the third Trojan ever to reach the 1,700-kill mark.

Bricio’s outstanding season is obviously a huge reason for the Women of Troy’s success, but it is hard to say what exactly has helped this team maintain such a record-breaking season. The Women of Troy are a perfect 16-0 as we approach the halfway mark of the season, matching last year’s win total.

Last year’s team went 16-16, including losses to Washington, UCLA and Stanford. Bricio and Ogoms were still key components last season, so it’s hard to say exactly what is different about this year’s team.

What I do know, though, is that we could be witnessing a potentially undefeated championship run by the Women of Troy. So consider this a PSA, if you will. I love football just as much as the next person, but let’s give credit where credit is due. The football team is not the most dominant team on campus right now, and even though Cody is in the middle of a Heisman campaign, he’s not the best athlete at USC right now either.

The season is only half over, so there’s still time to witness the second half of USC’s championship run.

1 reply
  1. Steve B.
    Steve B. says:

    The rankings mean really nothing at this stage or anytime. The ncaa tournament is what counts, and who makes the final four.
    The sweet sixteen closest to USC is in San Diego. Single elimination for all tourney matches is when you want to go undefeated.
    Actually better to lose one during the regular season to see how team responds.

Comments are closed.