USC riding late-season momentum


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Riding a four-match winning streak, the No. 15 USC women’s volleyball team looks to close out its season on a strong note this weekend as it takes on Arizona State and No. 19 Arizona at the Galen Center.

USC (19-9, 8-8) defeated Arizona State on the road earlier this season behind a career outing by outside hitter Alex Jupiter. The sophomore tallied career highs of 31 kills and 20 digs against the Sun Devils (13-15, 3-13), as the Women of Troy won their first road conference match of the season.

USC will try to keep Sun Devils outside hitter Sarah Reaves in check. In the first meeting between the two teams, the junior led Arizona State with 20 kills and 10 digs. Reaves leads the Sun Devils with 433 kills (4.37 kills per set).

The Arizona Wildcats have been much more successful than their rivals this year.

They posted an impressive victory over then-No. 11 Cal last weekend. The Wildcats (19-8, 8-8) are looking to end their season on a high note against UCLA and USC before heading into the NCAA tournament.

The Wildcats defeated USC 3-1 earlier this season when the Women of Troy combined for an uncharacteristic 25 errors in the contest. Arizona’s outside hitter Tiffany Owens ignited her team with 16 kills and 13 digs in the match. The junior leads the Wildcats with 330 kills (3.67 kps) this season.

Despite some midseason struggles, USC coach Mick Haley believes his team is peaking at the right time and is ready to finish the season streaking.

The action starts on Friday at 3 p.m., when USC takes on Arizona State and continues Saturday at 2 p.m. as the Women of Troy end their regular season against Arizona.