Women’s volleyball beats Oklahoma to cap road trip


Katie Chin | Daily Trojan

This past weekend at the Maryland Challenge, the women’s volleyball team improved its record to 8-3 with a four-set victory over Oklahoma (25-19, 23-25, 25-20, 25-20).  The Trojans were ranked 18th when entering the match, whereas Oklahoma was unranked.

Against Oklahoma, the Trojan offense experimented with a new player in the mix: sophomore opposite hitter Daley Krage, who had a breakout performance, putting down a career-high 12 kills.  Krage also contributed two blocks and three digs for the Trojan defense.

Another Trojan adding a feat to her career records was senior setter Reni Meyer-Whalley.

Meyer-Whalley recorded her first double-double match this season with 24 assists and 11 digs.  This is Meyer-Whalley’s 10th double-double in her career.

Leading the Trojans in kills was sophomore outside hitter Khalia Lanier, who tallied 22.  Lanier also played great defense with nine digs, which was one short of earning her a double-double on the match.  Another standout offensive performance came from senior opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie, who delivered a career-high 16 kills alongside her two blocks.

The win against Oklahoma was essential for the Trojans, especially after losing to Maryland earlier in the tournament. USC enters

Pac-12 play against crosstown rival No. 13 UCLA on Wednesday.  UCLA will be ready to compete against the Trojans, considering UCLA’s only two losses are both to a strong Nebraska team.

“Even though we lost to Maryland, we beat Oklahoma, which was a big win for us,” senior middle blocker Danielle Geiger said.  “We learned a lot from our loss against Maryland, and then we had Daley come in and do a great job [for] us.  She’ll be a component to our success this season and I’m looking forward to Pac-12 play.”