Coming Off Tournament Sweep, Third-Ranked Volleyball Travels To Utah
Women of Troy to face BYU, Wake Forest and No. 6 Florida at BYU Mizuno Classic.
Sept. 4, 2002
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This Week
BYU Mizuno Classic - Provo, Utah
Sept. 5 at BYU, 7 p.m. MST
TV: Dish Network 500, DirecTV Channel 374 or Telestar 5/Transponder 11
Audio Broadcast: <a href="http://www.byucougars.com" target="_blank">www.byucougars.com</a>
Sept. 6 vs. Wake Forest, 10 a.m. MST
Sept. 6 vs. #6 Florida 7 p.m. MST
Audio Broadcast: <a href="http://www.am850.com" target="_blank">www.am850.com</a>
The Facts
Coming off a three-match sweep at the Radisson Hotel Roberts/Nike Classic in Muncie, Ind., including a 3-0 upset victory over No. 2 Nebraska, the No. 3-ranked USC women's volleyball team (3-0) has no time to rest. The Trojans will travel to Provo, Utah, on Wednesday (Sept. 4) for the BYU Mizuno Classic. USC will face BYU (1-2) on Thursday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. MST, then take on Wake Forest (2-1) and No. 6 Florida (3-0) on Friday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. MST, respectively. Listen to the USC-BYU match audio broadcast at <a href="http://www.byucougars.com" target="_blank">www.byucougars.com</a> and the USC-Florida match at <a href="http://www.am850.com." target="_blank">www.am850.com.</a> Thursday's BYU match will also be televised on BYU TV and can be accessed with a satellite dish (Dish Network 500 / Telestar 5, Transponder 11) or DirecTV (Channel 374).
The 2002 Trojans return 11 letterwinners and five starters from last year's squad which advanced to the NCAA Regional Final. Among the veterans, USC features the talent of All-Americans April Ross (Volleyball magazine third team) and Katie Olsovsky (AVCA second team), in addition to two other all-conference players (Keao Burdine, Alicia Robinson).
The Rankings
USC remains ranked No. 3 in this week's USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll and Volleyball Magazine poll. The Women of Troy earned a No. 5 final ranking in 2001 by both publications and entered the 2002 season at No. 3.
April Ross Named Pac-10 Player of the Week
Outside hitter April Ross has been named Pac-10 Volleyball Player of the Week for Aug. 26 -Sept. 2. She was also named the Radisson Hotel Roberts/Nike Classic MVP after guiding USC to three 3-0 victories, including a 3-0 upset sweep over No. 2 Nebraska. Ross posted double-double kill-dig performances in all three matches with 12 kills, 11 digs against Ball State, a match-high 17 kills, 10 digs against Pittsburgh and 11 kills, 11 digs against Nebraska. She posted a .333 attack percentage while collecting 40 kills (4.44 kpg), 32 digs (3.56 dpg) and five blocks (0.56 bpg). This is the second career weekly honor for Ross, USC's 28th player of the Pac-10 honor all-time.
Trojans Record First Season Upset, Sweep Through Tourney
USC opened the 2002 season with a tournament title, an upset victory, a conference player of the week and tournament MVP, a coaching milestone and two streak-breakers... what more could you want? USC's win over Ball State (Aug. 31) ended the Cardinals 42-match home win streak - the third-longest active home win streak in Division 1. The win over Pittsburgh (Sept. 1) gave Mick Haley his 800th career victory and the 3-0 win over Nebraska (Sept. 2) solidified USC's Top 5 standing and marked Nebraska's first 3-0 loss since 1997. USC finished in first place at the Radisson Hotel Roberts/Nike Classic, April Ross was honored as the tournament MVP, and both Ross and Keao Burdine were named to the all-tournament team.
vs. Ball State - USC put an end to Ball State's 42-match home win streak with a 30-22, 30-17, 30-20 victory. Keao Burdine led the team with 15 kills and set a new career mark with a .583 attack percentage. Emily Adams not only collected nine kills and hit for .667, but also made a career-high five blocks. USC held Ball State to a .073 hitting performance and only 30 kills. The Women of Troy trailed only once in the three-game match. After winning the first two games, 30-22 and 30-17, the Trojans made four consecutive errors at the start of game three and allowed the Cardinals to go ahead 4-3. USC trailed for two more rotations, then jumped back on top with a 6-1 run of its own. Soon after, Burdine served for six straight points, giving the Trojans a 19-10 advantage. The Women of Troy cruised to the 30-20 win for the match.
vs. Pittsburgh - USC defeated Pittsburgh 3-0 (30-22, 30-27, 30-22) on the second day of the Ball State tournament. After tying the score at five apiece in game one, Pittsburgh took a two-point lead, 7-5, thanks to two USC errors, but it would be its only lead of the game. The Women of Troy pulled away in the stretch for a 30-22 win. The Panthers again closely trailed the Trojans in game two, but it was April Ross who took care of the game, scoring five of the final 13 points and making key digs en route to the 30-27 victory. USC and Pittsburgh reached a 16-16 tie in game three, but with two straight service aces from Toni Anderson the Women of Troy embarked on a seven-point run and eventually closed out the match, 30-22. The Trojans finished with four players in double figures, including Ross who had a match-high 17 kills (.387) in addition to 10 digs.
vs. No. 2/4 Nebraska - The Trojans fought back from an 11-point deficit in the third game to upset second-ranked Nebraska, 30-26, 30-19, 32-30. As USC and Nebraska alternated points for much of the first game, the Trojans took advantage of two three-point rallies to establish a lead. Ahead by as much as five (20-15), the Women of Troy used a powerful right-side attack, led by Lauren Killian and Alicia Robinson, to hold on and take the first game, 30-26. The Huskers took a lesson from the Trojans and used a four-point rally to quickly jump out to a 5-1 lead in game two. But Nebraska's advantage did not last long, as USC climbed back to even the score at nine and 10 points apiece. With Keao Burdine at the service line, the Women of Troy took command by scoring nine-straight thanks to four Nebraska errors and three blocks by Katie Olsovsky for a 30-19 win. Nebraska rattled the Trojans at the start of game three. Up 11-7, the Huskers scored the next 9-of-11 points to take an 11-point lead (20-9). With two four-point USC rallys, the Husker lead began to diminish and just as Nebraska was on the verge of reaching game point (28-25), the Trojans knotted the score at 28-28, then again at 29 and 30. Eventually Robinson and Olsovsky blocked a Husker attack and Olsovsky finished the match by stopping Nebraska's Anna Schrad on a solo block for a 32-30 USC win. Robinson and Burdine led USC with 12 kills apiece and Olsovsky posted a match-high six blocks.
Haley Gets Career Win No. 800
With a 3-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday (Sept. 1), USC gave second-year head coach Mick Haley his 800th collegiate career victory. Haley, who also spent four years as the U.S. Women's National Team coach, now boasts an 801-192-1 (.807) career record in 26 seasons in the college ranks.
Injury Update
Junior middle blocker Kelli Lantz sprained her right ankle during practice on Wednesday, Aug. 28. She will be sidelined for two weeks and will not travel with the team to BYU this week.
2002 Team Captains
This year's team captain, as voted on by the players, is senior Lauren Killian. Teams must have a captain on the floor at all times, so junior April Ross will act as the floor captain when Killian is not present.
2001 Recap
In his first season at the helm of the USC program, Mick Haley led his squad to a 25-4 overall record, second-place Pac-10 finish (16-2) and No. 5 final ranking, but fell "an ankle short" of the team's ultimate goal of returning to the NCAA Final Four. Behind the efforts of senior Jennifer Pahl (All-Pac-10) and then-juniors April Ross (All-Pac-10) and Katie Olsovsky (All-Pac-10), the Trojans dominated the regular season, but were eliminated in the NCAA Regional Final by Arizona, 3-2. Up 1-0 in the match, Ross went down with an ankle injury in game two and the Wildcats took advantage to gain the comeback win and advance.
Reaching New Heights
The 2002 squad boasts the tallest lineup of hitters and blockers in recent history at USC. The Trojans' front line measures at a 6-foot-3 average height and as a team USC stands at 6-0.
A Trojan and a Bruin Get Together
Senior Tracy Lindquist and beach volleyball partner Chrissie Zartman (UCLA sophomore libero) represented the U.S. and captured the gold medal in late June at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World University Games in Guadeloupe of the French Antilles. At 5-7 and 5-5, respectively, Lindquist and Zartman were the shortest competitors in the tournament. In 1997, at ages 16 and 13, Lindquist and Zartman became the youngest players ever to receive an AAA beach rating.
Burdine Follows In Lindquists' Footsteps
Sophomore Keao Burdine stepped in for Tracy Lindquist and paired with UCLA's Chrissie Zartman for the 2002 Under-21 World Beach Volleyball Championship in Catania, Italy, not long after Lindquist and Zartman captured the world title. Although Lindquist is Zartman's long-time partner, she was too old to qualify for the under-21 event. Representing the United States, the new team advanced to the quarterfinal round (fifth place), but was eliminated by third-place finisher Maria Salgado Rufino and Talita Rocha of Brazil, 21-13, 21-15.
USC Takes Over USA Team
Head Coach Mick Haley has ensured himself one of the best trained teams in the country. For the second-consecutive summer, USC had six players (Katie Olsovsky, April Ross, Emily Adams, Tracy Lindquist, Keao Burdine and Alicia Robinson) train with the Women's National A2 Team in Colorado Springs, Colo. - this is by far more than any other school (next on the list is Stanford and Nebraska with two apiece).
Venski Forgoes High School Volleyball
Stacy Venski (California City, Calif.), a 6-3 middle blocker, did not play high school volleyball as a junior and senior. Instead, she chose to solely compete with her club volleyball team and during the summers she trained with the U.S. Youth and Junior National Teams. She was never eligible for most prep awards or accolades and made an early verbal commitment to USC.
Trojans Welcome First International Recruit in Seven Years
Bibiana Candelas, a 6-5 middle blocker from Torre
