USC women’s volleyball dealt mixed results in Houston
The Trojans opened their season with three road tilts but dropped the first two.
By DRAKE LEE
Heading into the first matches of the season, USC women’s volleyball had to find some way to replace the offensive production from senior opposite hitter Emilia Weske and freshman outside hitter Jordan Wilson. The two combined for 642 kills last season, but Wilson departed for Arizona, and Weske left for Rice.
After a three-game series in Houston, the Trojans provided mixed offensive results without the duo after a 1-2 start to the season. No. 19 Houston and No. 23 Rice defeated USC, but the Trojans claimed victory over unranked Southern Mississippi.
USC lost to Houston for the first time in program history Friday in a 3-1 defeat. The Cougars had a .289 hitting percentage while holding the Trojans to a .168 hitting percentage.
Several USC attackers struggled in the opening match. Senior outside hitter Skylar Fields finished with a .137 hitting percentage. Graduate outside hitter Kalyah Williams had a .083 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Katelyn Smith hit .125.
The Trojans also committed 22 errors compared to the Cougars’ 17, including four straight service errors that allowed Houston to come back and win in the third set.
“I think we were a little bit in shock with what happened, and then it kind of compounded or was exacerbated,” Head Coach Brad Keller said in an interview with the Daily Trojan.
Senior middle blocker Lindsey Miller, who led the Trojans with a .358 hitting percentage last season, was the exception in the opening match, hitting .571 with a career-high 13 kills.
On defense, graduate libero Ellie Snook got the start and finished with 14 digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Gala Trubint posted 11 more.
The Trojans fell to 7-1 against Houston and 13-5 in season openers on the road.
The offensive struggles continued for the Trojans in a 3-0 loss Saturday against No. 23 Rice. USC hit .144, including a .000 hitting percentage in the second set. The Owls had a total hitting percentage of .214.
After a successful game the day before, Miller hit just .071. Once again, Williams finished with a .083 hitting percentage.
“At Rice, we just couldn’t get things going, and nothing was really in rhythm,” Keller said. “We weren’t communicating great. We just weren’t making the touches that we normally do make.”
Fields led everyone with 18 kills, a .259 hitting percentage and eight digs. Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Tyrah Ariail had four kills in just seven attempts.
On defense, Snook recorded 15 more digs before Trubint replaced her at the libero position in the third set.
Former Trojan graduate right-side hitter Emilia Weske racked up 11 kills and 13 digs for the Owls.
“It was great to see her again,” Keller said. “‘Mimi,’ as we call her, is a great individual, great person. I’m really happy that she made the VNL team for Germany, and she’s found a place, and she’s doing great for Rice.”
The Trojan offense came alive for the final game against Southern Mississippi in a 3-0 victory. USC hit .320 while limiting the Eagles to a .150 hitting percentage.
Once again, Fields led everyone with 17 kills, bringing her season total up to 49. Smith added eight more successful attacks and three blocks.
Both Ariail and Miller hit .500. Miller also led everyone with six blocks and provided two aces that closed out the game for the Trojans.
“It’s hard to get up in the morning early and play another match,” Keller said. “ I thought we did a really nice job responding today and playing more of our style of volleyball.”
Defensively, Trubint got the start at libero and recorded 11 digs. She and her team limited Eagle junior outside hitter Mia Wesley to a .081 hitting percentage, well below her 2022 season average of .223.
The two losses moved USC from No. 22 in the AVCA poll to unranked. The Trojans will briefly return to Southern California before flying to the islands to take on Hawai’i on Thursday and Saturday.
“At the end of the day, we got to make better shot selections,” Keller said. “We’ve got to hit the ball in different spots and expand our kind of fan and the way we play the game.”
