No. 3 USC rolls overs Oregon State, No. 16 Oregon

For the No. 3 USC women’s volleyball team, the streak hasn’t been snapped — at least not yet.

After a sweep of Oregon State on Saturday and a four-set win over No. 16 Oregon on Friday, the Women of Troy (15-3, 10-1) are riding a 10-game winning streak — the first time since 2003 when they won 10 consecutive conference matches.

USC is off to its best start in Pac-12 play since that 2003 season, a year in which it finished with a perfect 18-0 mark in conference play en route to an NCAA championship.

On Saturday against Oregon State (11-9, 3-7), USC held the Beavers to a .042 hitting percentage in a 25-12, 25-14, 25-15 sweep.

USC coach Mick Haley was able to play 14 different players in the win.

Among those players who saw extended time on the court was sophomore middle blocker Alexis Olgard, who is still trying to fully recover from offseason knee surgery and a case of mononucleosis.

“We’re trying to get [Olgard’s] intensity up,” Haley said. “She needs to get her legs back and in the middle before she really gets into it. The more we get her better, the better she will be going forward.”

Freshman outside hitter Emily Young registered five kills and two blocks, and freshman setter Hayley Crone notched 10 assists.

Sophomore outside hitter Kirby Burnham had eight kills and sophomore outside hitter Sara Shaw tied for a match-high with nine.

“We played very well as a team against Oregon State with everyone making a nice contribution,” Haley said. “I like the freshmen we put in there. [Freshman middle blocker] Hannah Schraer has been playing great. [Freshman setter/opposite] Emily Young has played well on the right side and allows us to have her come in and spell [junior outside hitter] Katie Fuller and [sophomore outside hitter] Kirby Burnham.”

On Friday, No. 16 Oregon (12-5, 5-4) challenged USC, taking the Women of Troy to four sets before falling 25-15, 25-27, 25-23, 25-21.

“We were glad to have the win, especially since I didn’t think we played exceptionally well,” Haley said. “UCLA had trouble with them also, so we have to feel pretty good about getting the win.”

Leading the charge was senior outside hitter Alex Jupiter, who had a match-high 22 kills and a season-high 14 digs.

“Jupiter seemed focused all night and she looked like she was in the zone the whole time,” Haley said. “It was fun for me to watch her and she has been doing a lot to elevate her game.”

Jupiter leads the Pac-12 in points per game with 5.23 and also sits at the top of the Pac-12 rankings with 17 service aces, as no other player has more than 11.

Oregon sophomore middle blocker Ariana William led the Ducks with 15 kills and five blocks.

Along with Williams, junior outside hitter Katherine Fischer had 10 kills with 20 digs and junior outside hitter Alaina Bergsma notched double digits in kills and digs, with 11 of each.

The Ducks’ pushing the match to four sets marked just the second time an opponent has not been swept during the Women of Troy’s ongoing 10-game win streak.

Senior middle blocker Lauren Williams notched 10 kills and five blocks, and junior outside hitter Katie Fuller added 11 kills, 10 digs and three blocks.

Senior setter Kendall Bateman had 49 assists on the day, along with a season-high three kills.

Sophomore libero Natalie Hagglund registered 25 digs, moving her to second place in the category among Pac-12 players.

“Hagglund has raised her level, as other teams aren’t serving to her, she can focus on her defense,” Haley said. “She’s been all over the place doing different things on defense and showing some great progress.”

The Women of Troy face Utah and Colorado at the Galen Center next Friday and Saturday.

Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.