Khalia Lanier wins Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week

The women’s volleyball team started the new season off with a bang last weekend, and on Monday, the Women of Troy earned their first award of the year, as sophomore outside hitter Khalia Lanier was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week.

The second-year star spearheaded the Trojan attack in the USC/LMU Tournament, as the Women of Troy beat Loyola Marymount, No. 16 Michigan and Albany in four sets to take home the tourney crown. Lanier led USC with 13 kills in the team’s season opener at LMU, also tallying a service ace and contributing defensively with a team-high nine digs.

She continued to lead the Trojans in kills against the Wolverines (19) and the Great Danes (16) — recording her first double-double of the year versus Michigan — and she spread three aces across the two remaining matches. In all, Lanier finished the weekend triple-header with 48 kills, averaging 4.36 kills per set and a .400 hitting percentage, along with four aces and 27 digs.

Following a dazzling freshman season, last weekend’s strong performances kicked off Lanier’s follow-up campaign in encouraging fashion. Lanier debuted with 16 double-doubles in 2016 and led her team with 491 kills. Her 1,406 attacks were the third-highest single-season tally in program history, behind Asia Kaczor (1,542, 2007) and three-time All-American outside hitter Samantha Bricio (1,615, 2015).

Though this is Lanier’s first career Offensive Player of the Week honor, Monday marked her second career weekly conference award (she was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week last October). The sophomore became the first Trojan to earn Offensive Player of the Week since Bricio earned the accolade in 2015. Overall, the Women of Troy have notched 83 conference honors in program history.

Lanier and the Women of Troy now look to build on an undefeated start this week. They will be in Omaha, Neb., on Friday for the start of the Bluejay Invitational, and they will open the weekend against Northern Iowa.
No. 18 USC will then play a doubleheader on Saturday, taking on host
No. 7 Creighton and then No. 13 Kentucky.

The tournament kicks off a lengthy string of road matches for the Women of Troy, and the team won’t play in the Galen Center until late September, when USC faces off against Oregon State for its Pac-12 home opener. Before the Trojans take on the Beavers on Sept. 24, they will travel to Santa Barbara, Calif., for the UCSB Thunderdome Classic; College Park, Md. for the Maryland Challenge; and finally Westwood for the start of conference play against archrival
No. 11 UCLA.