Jupiter leads Women of Troy in weekend rebound

Behind the strong play of sophomore outside hitter Alex Jupiter, the struggling No. 18 USC women’s volleyball team gained some confidence back this weekend as it swept No. 12 Oregon and unranked Oregon State at the Galen Center to end a four-match losing streak.

It was the kind of successful weekend USC needed to bounce back from a four-match skid that was starting to weigh the team down.

“[The losing streak] shook everybody’s confidence,” USC coach Mick Haley said. “We really had to work hard to get back everyone’s confidence.”

Jupiter led the way with 19 kills and 24.5 points Saturday against the Ducks, adding three service aces, seven digs and three blocks in the victory (26-24, 25-23, 30-28). She has been the Women of Troy’s most consistent player throughout the first half of the Pac-10 season, compiling a 5.27 kills per set average with 198.6 points for a 6.02 points per clip set.

But Jupiter wasn’t alone in leading USC (15-6, 4-5) to victory. Sophomore middle blocker Lauren Williams posted a season-high 12 kills and hit .500 for USC, while sophomore setter Kendall Bateman recorded 49 assists and nine digs with three block assists.

“I have to really compliment our setter Kendall Bateman,” Haley said. “Her play has been just stellar … and Jupiter continues to be a person we can count on. She was over 19 [kills] in each of the games this weekend, so our sophomores are really producing.”

Sonja Newcombe led Oregon (14-5, 4-5) with 21 kills and 10 digs while hitting .442. Heather Meyers added 13 kills and 13 digs. Nevena Djordjevic recorded 44 assists with six digs for the Ducks, while Neticia Enesi had nine kills in a .467 day.

Oregon built a 16-9 lead in the first set before USC rallied to win. Audrey Eichler, who had eight kills for the Women of Troy, started a 7-2 run and cut the deficit to 18-16. Meyers kept the Ducks ahead by three, but the Trojans continued to chip away, until senior Jessica Gysin’s kill evened the score at 22.

USC took set point at 24-23, but Oregon’s Katherine Fischer tied it with a kill. Jupiter hit the sideout kill, and Gysin capped the rally for the 1-0 lead.

The Women of Troy built a 17-11 lead in the second set, but the Ducks wouldn’t go down easy. Oregon took advantage of late errors by USC to get within two at 22-20. Jupiter was stuffed on a block by Enesi and Meyers, but junior middle blocker Eichler and Bateman returned the favor on Fischer for set point. Jupiter recorded a hitting error, but USC went back to Eichler for the set-winner.

In the final set, Oregon again used a late rush to tie it at 24-24 on Haley Jacob’s service ace. USC held the advantage with constant sideouts. After Gysin made it 29-28, Meyers’ attempt sailed wide on the right side, wrapping up the match for USC.

USC notched its first sweep earlier in the weekend against the Beavers (25-17, 25-15, 25-22) Friday night to give the team some momentum heading into Saturday’s showdown with Oregon.

Jupiter posted a team-high 19 kills and 24.0 points in the match. Eichler registered a season-high 10 kills for USC, while hitting .471. Williams chipped in eight kills for a .429 match with four blocks. Bateman, who entered the match ranked fifth in the nation for assists, had 39 assists as the Trojans hit .337 for the match.

“Most teams are winning at home and struggling on the road,” Haley said. “We had to create a situation of stability and let our players know they can recover from the losses … We got two important wins this weekend.”