USC Women’s Volleyball Bounces To Bay Area For Stanford and Cal Matches

Women’s Volleyball | October 09, 2023

LOS ANGELES – The USC women’s volleyball team (11-5, 5-1 Pac-12) is set to travel to the Bay Area this week to face tough opponents. First up, they will take on the third-ranked Stanford (13-2, 6-0) in a Friday-night match-up at Maples Pavilion on October 13. The Trojans will then head to Haas Pavilion on Sunday, October 15, to battle the Cal Golden Bears (12-5, 1-5). While USC has a perfect home record of 6-0, they are looking to improve their 3-5 away record and secure two victories this week. USC has a winning streak of 14 against Cal but has lost 11 consecutive matches against Stanford. The match with the Bears will also serve as a reunion with former volunteer assistant coach Savannah Rennie, who is now an assistant at Cal.

MATCH #17 • Friday, Oct. 13 • 8 p.m. PT
USC (11-5, 5-1) at No. 3 Stanford (13-2, 6-0)
Maples Pavilion • Stanford, Calif.
SERIES RECORD: USC trails, 26-70-1 (.268)
LAST MEETING: L 3-2 (Nov. 10, 2022 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Lost 11 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 0-10
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Kevin Danna & Nicole Branagh)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoStanford.com

MATCH #18 • Sunday, Oct. 15 • 2 p.m. PT
USC (11-5, 5-1) at California (12-5, 1-5)
Haas Pavilion • Berkeley, Calif.
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 67-12 (.848)
LAST MEETING: W 3-2 (Nov. 12, 2022 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 14 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 10-0
TV: Pac-12 Networks (TBA)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CalBears.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

• USC is led by fourth-year head coach Brad Keller, who has the unique experience of coaching both men’s and women’s programs at both USC and UCLA. Keller holds a record of 55-39 (.585) as the Trojans’ head coach overall.
• The Trojans have a winning streak of 14 against the Golden Bears but have lost 11 consecutive matches against the Cardinal.
• The Women of Troy have a record of 46-48 in five Bay Area cities: Berkeley, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara, and Stanford.
• As the away team, USC holds a combined record of 37-47 against Cal and Stanford, but they have won five out of their last seven matches in the Bay Area, all against the Bears.
• Former USC volunteer assistant coach Savannah Rennie is now a first-year assistant coach for Cal.
• Sr. OH Skylar Fields has recorded double-digit kills in 15 matches. She was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 11) for the fifth time in her career and currently leads the Pac-12 in kills (5.02 kps) and points (5.42 pps).

LAST TIME OUT: In their previous matches, USC had a nine-match winning streak stopped with a five-set loss to 23rd-ranked Arizona State, but they rebounded with a five-set win over Arizona in their first Pac-12 road trip of the season. Against the Sun Devils, three Trojans achieved double-doubles, including LIB Gala Trubint with 20 digs and 10 assists. S Mia Tuaniga recorded back-to-back double-doubles, with one match featuring a career-high 17 digs. OH Skylar Fields led the Trojans with 24 kills against ASU and 23 kills against Arizona.

TIME TO PAC IT UP: This will be the Women of Troy’s final season in the Pac-12 Conference. USC and UCLA announced on June 30, 2022, that their athletic programs will join the Big Ten Conference in 2024. Oregon and Washington have also made similar announcements, and all four teams will now compete in the Big Ten for most sports.

SIDELINE SHUFFLE: USC’s bench has three new assistant coaches this season. Spencer McLachlin joins as the associate head coach after serving in the same position at Indiana. Megan Moenoa, previously a coach at UC Irvine, returns to coaching after a hiatus as a USC assistant. Former practice player Garrett Geiger starts his collegiate coaching career with the Trojans. McLachlin, a Stanford national champion athlete, has coached at UCLA and California in the past. Moenoa, a standout setter at UCLA, is familiar with the USC-UCLA rivalry on the women’s side. Geiger, who played at Hawai’i, completed his undergraduate studies at USC and retired from playing.