Vavic, Bricio named USC Athletes of the Week


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USC’s top male and female athletes from the week of Sept. 2-8 were announced Monday, as men’s water polo senior driver Nikola Vavic and women’s volleyball sophomore outside hitter Samantha Bricio each took home USC’s Athletes of the Week honors.

Bricio led the Women of Troy to wins over TCU and Marquette en route to being named the Most Valuable Player at the Marquette Challenge. Against the Horned Frogs, she posted another impressive performance with 16 kills and 15 digs, while maintaining a .275 hitting percentage. Bricio was the catalyst of the USC offense, averaging 4.95 points per set over the team’s three matches, including 16 more kills and a .324 hitting percentage against Northern Illinois.

On the men’s side, it was no surprise to see Vavic, son of USC head coach Jovan Vavic, at the top of the stat sheet after the men’s water polo team concluded their undefeated weekend at the UCSD Triton Invitational. The 2012 Cutino Award finalist helped his team open the 2013 season in dominating fashion, scoring 14 goals over the Trojans’ first four wins of the season.

Vavic posted five goals on day one and caught fire for nine more on the second day of tournament play, netting four goals against No. 12 Air Force and adding five more against Redlands. Along the way, he reached yet another milestone in his impressive career, moving up to the No. 3 on USC’s all-time scoring list. His efforts helped the team extend its remarkable winning streak, which now stands at 35 games dating back to 2011.

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