Women’s volleyball season continues with Pac-12 play


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Graduate student outside hitter Shannon Scully prepares to serve.
USC will continue its Pac-12 play with two away games in Arizona. The first game will be in Tempe and the second in Tucson. (Gina Nguyen | Daily Trojan)

Women’s volleyball defeated No. 24 Colorado 3-1 Sunday at the Galen Center. This was USC’s first win against a ranked opponent this season. The final score was 25-19, 27-25, 20-25, 25-23 in favor of the Trojans. Before the victory Sunday, the Trojans suffered back-to-back losses against No. 15 Washington and No. 13 Utah last week. USC now sits at 7-8 overall and 3-3 in conference matchups. Here’s a rundown of the team’s status as it continues Pac-12 play. 

Impact Players

Graduate students middle blocker Candice Denny and outside hitter Shannon Scully were the game’s two heroes against Colorado. The two tallied 15 kills and 2 aces on Sunday. Denny also had three blocks and Scully had one. Graduate student outside hitter Brooke Botkin and junior opposite hitter Emilia Weske also contributed with 11 kills and 2 aces each.

Stat Leaders

So far this season, senior setter and team captain Raquel Lazaro leads the team with 440 assists and 21 service aces. Denny has the most blocks on the team with 41, followed by Weske who has 35. Scully has tallied the most digs with 192. Botkin leads with 231 kills, which is 101 more than Emilia Weske’s second-place total of 130.

In Comparison to Last Season

Right now, USC’s record is exactly what it was at the end of the 2020 season. The team already tied the amount of games that it won last year, but that is because of a shortened schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Trojans also beat Colorado last season, doing so twice in a row to finish the 2020 season.

Next Up — Arizona State

The Trojans will travel to the state of Arizona for back-to-back away games against Arizona State and Arizona. The Sun Devils have had a similar season to the Trojans, sitting at 8-9 overall. However, their conference record is only 1-5, and they have lost six of their last seven games. The only Pac-12 opponent Arizona State has defeated is UC Berkeley.

Junior outside hitter Iman Isanovic has shined for the Sun Devils so far this season and leads the team in kills with 261. Last season, Isanovic was an All Pac-12 Honorable Mention. Both of USC’s games against Arizona State last year were canceled, so the Trojans haven’t played the Sun Devils since 2019, when they won 3-2 in Tempe. 

Next Up — Arizona

Arizona is a solid team that boasts an 11-6 record, but it is in the midst of a three-game losing streak. The Wildcats currently sit at 3-3 in conference play. Outside hitter Jaelyn Hodge is having a breakout season and leads Arizona with 206 kills, passing her total of 176 last season. Last season, USC defeated the Wildcats 3-2.