No. 2 USC to play back-to-back games

The women’s volleyball team prepares to play Oregon and Oregon State on back-to-back nights this week, starting Wednesday versus the Ducks at the Galen Center. The No. 2 Women of Troy rebounded with two wins against Colorado and Utah last week, after suffering their first loss of the season against Washington at the end of October.

After the grueling, two-week, four-game road trip put an end to USC’s perfect season, head coach Mick Haley was glad to return home, where his players could recover and get back into their rhythm.

“We were gone for eight days and only home for six days,” he said. “That’s pretty darn hard when you’re trying to study at this institution.”

The team has certainly looked comfortable in the Galen Center this year, where they have only dropped five sets all season and sport a sparkling 13-0 record. The Women of Troy are in arguably the most grueling part of their regular season schedule, playing six games in 13 days beginning when their trip to Washington. The quick turnaround in this week’s games may raise concerns, but Haley isn’t worried.

“If you play hard one night, [you’re] ready to play the next night -— you’re still there,” he said. “It’s harder to play when you’re off a day and have to rebuild … that really takes its toll.”

Haley admitted the busy schedule was taxing, but he hailed the lively Galen Center crowd for energizing the team.

“If we have to do this, we want to do it at home,” he said. “I thought the crowd was great [against Colorado and Utah] … I hope they’ll come Wednesday and Thursday.”

The Women of Troy take on the Ducks and the Beavers not long after beating both teams on the road last month. USC brought home victories in both Corvallis and Eugene, winning a 3-1 contest against Oregon State and sweeping past Oregon, 3-0, two days later. Both opponents have had difficult seasons: The Ducks come to the Galen Center with six losses in their last nine matches, and Oregon State has won just three matches all season in Pac-12 play.

This week, however, more eyes may be on senior outside hitter Samantha Bricio than on the scoreboard. Bricio, who on Tuesday became just the ninth player in program history to be named the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week, is just 22 kills away from becoming the program’s all-time career kills leader. With 68 kills over her past three games, Bricio looks poised to make history this week.

To her teammates, though, Bricio’s contributions to her team go far beyond the box score. Junior libero Taylor Whittingham, who has played with Bricio for three years, praised her teammate’s presence as a captain.

“She’s just a great leader and a great person to have on the court,” she said. “She’s open, you’re able to bond with her and she’s a great player on top of all that.”

Haley also heaped praise on Bricio, adding that she would be a huge asset to the team come the NCAA tournament in December.

“If you look at the teams that have gone to the final four in the last six or seven years, everybody has had the go-to person: somebody who makes it OK for everyone else, who will take the team on her back when she needs to,” he said.

For now, however, the Trojans remain fully focused on earning two victories before heading off to Arizona next week. The team’s game-by-game mentality has allowed the players to remain grounded throughout the season as well as bounce back from tough matches.

“Obviously that’s the main goal: the tournament and the national championship,” Whittingham said. “But really, we’re just focusing on one game at a time.”

Wednesday’s matchup against Oregon will begin at 7:30 p.m., before Oregon State visits the Galen Center at the same time on Thursday.