University of Washington
USC
No. 2 Huskies Notch Key Road Win At No. 20 USC
October 30, 2014 | Volleyball
LOS ANGELES – Despite scoring just six more total points than the 20th-ranked Trojans, the second-ranked Husky volleyball team still came away with a 3-0 sweep at the Galen Center, playing the crucial points at a high level to secure the 26-24, 26-24, 25-23 victory. Seventeen kills from senior All-American Krista Vansant and a career-high-matching 25 digs from junior Cassie Strickland led the Husky effort.
Washington (22-0, 11-0 Pac-12) completed a season-sweep of the Trojans (12-9, 5-6 Pac-12), extending its win streak over USC to a program-best five in a row. But it was hardly as easy as a 3-0 win might indicate, as the Huskies saved a set point in the second set after losing a seven-point cushion, and battling through a total of 33 ties and 14 lead changes over the three sets.
Check out highlights of Washington's win at USC in 60 seconds.
With the win, UW equals the second-best start in program history (22-0 in 2004), and is one win from tying the record of 23-0 in 2005. The Huskies moved a half-game ahead of idle No. 1 Stanford for the Pac-12 lead.
The Huskies spread the offense around as usual, with six players earning five or more kills, compared to just four for USC. Vansant's 17 kills moved her past Angela Bransom (1993-96) for third on the UW career kills list with 1,688, trailing only Christal Morrison and Sanja Tomasevic. The 25 digs for Strickland was all the more impressive coming in just three sets. It is the second-most digs by a Husky in a three-setter in the 25-point era, one off the record of 26 by Tamari Miyashiro in 2008.
“It was close, it was a dog fight, again we were good when we had to be,” said Head Coach Jim McLaughlin. “But we did a lot of really good things. We got into a stretch where we didn't pass well and made some errors, but when it was crunch time we really buckled down and played well.”
Vansant's 17 kills came with a .325 attack percentage and included 10 digs for her 44th career double-double, and a service ace to win it on match point. Freshman Tia Scambray added nine kills, senior Kaleigh Nelson had eight, as did junior Lianna Sybeldon. Freshman Crissy Jones had six kills and Melanie Wade chipped in five more plus four blocks. Bailey Tanner and Katy Beals each had 23 assists, helping the Huskies hit .280 on the night, compared to .234 for the Trojans, who were led by Samantha Bricio's 15 kills.
Ebony Nwanebu started with a kill for USC but Sybeldon answered tapping one over and down. Crissy Jones struck from the right in serve-receive for 2-2. Vansant put down a combo set from Katy Beals for a 5-3 Husky lead. The Trojans won six of seven points to take their first lead, 6-9, and force the Huskies to take timeout. Sybeldon put down a ricochet above the net to snap the run. A swing from Scambray set by Bailey Tanner made it 8-11. Vansant and Wade posted UW's first block of the night to make it 10-14. A tough Beals serve led to a free ball and Kaleigh Nelson's first kill to get the Dawgs back within a pair, and then Vansant put one off the block and down in transition for 13-14. Nelson pushed one down through the blockers to get the Dawgs back even at 15-15. Wade crushed a quick set for 16-all. Then it was Sybeldon from the middle to tie it again at 17. After another USC point, Jones converted as the teams continued to trade blows. Consecutive errors from Vansant dropped UW behind 19-21, but Jones got a key change-up kill on the next rally. At the end of a lengthy rally, Wade, Nelson, and Vansant all got up to reject the Bricio back row swing and tie it again at 21, with USC taking its first timeout. Vansant got caught in the net on the next point, but came back with a combo kill for 22-22. Scambray then won a joust to inch the Huskies back in front, 23-22, and the Trojans took timeout again. A blocking error on UW tied it, but Scambray had a perfect pass and Beals set Nelson for a kill and set point, 24-23. USC barely picked up a near Husky block, and Scambray just grazed the antenna to give the Trojans life, but USC missed just long on the next point for a second set point chance. USC setter Emily Young, who'd earned three kills to that point with second contact spikes, went for a fourth, but Sybeldon was ready and stuffed it straight down to clinch the set, 26-24 for the Dawgs. The Huskies hit .271 in the set with USC cooling off late to .239. Five different Huskies had three kills, with Sybeldon leading with four.
Sybeldon destroyed the first set of the second frame, but USC came back with three straight until Jones hit her fourth kill for 2-3. Nelson converted in transition to put UW back up 4-3. Beals had a huge dig of a Nwanebu swing and Vansant rolled one over and down for a kill and 6-3, then Beals set Vansant in transition and she banged off the block for another and USC took timeout as the Dawgs were on a 6-0 run. Beals kept it going with a service ace out of the break, and a USC error made it 9-3 before the Trojans got a block to snap the eight-point Beals service run. A back row Vansant termination pushed it to 11-4. Jones converted another tough swing on the right for 14-8. The teams continued swapping point, with Tanner getting a one-hand set to Sybeldon who crushed one down. A tip down from Vansant stymied a two-point Trojans run for 18-12. USC had a kill and Beals was called for a double to cut it to 18-14 and the Huskies called time. A great pass from Strickland let Beals find Nelson for a kill out of the timeout, but USC came back with two more to cut it to three. One of the longest rallies of the season went USC's way again for 19-17, then UW overpassed and Beals was called for the back row attack and the Huskies needed timeout again at 19-18. The Huskies overpassed another and another Beals back row violation had it even at 19, but Scambray made amends for the wayward passes with a huge kill on the next point. The Huskies could not stop the Trojans momentum for long, however, as a missed setting connection was followed by another blocking error and a lift call against UW for 21-23. Just when things looked grim, the Trojans missed long out of the middle and then missed another swing wide up the line and it was back tied at 23-23 with USC calling timeout. Yet another blocking error on the Huskies gave USC set point, 23-24. But Strickland handled the serve from Pac-12 aces leader Bricio, and Vansant put down the set for the tie. A Strickland dig then led to a Vansant roll shot for a kill and the Huskies had set point, 25-24. On the next point, Strickland dove for another dig, and Tanner went back to Jones for a kill off the hands and out, as the Huskies escaped with another 26-24 victory. In set two, the Huskies hit .310 and held USC to .186, but four blocking errors hurt UW. Vansant, who started slowly in the first set, was on fire in the second set, with nine kills on 15 swings without an error.
Sybeldon and Vansant had early kills for the Huskies in the third set, but USC held an early lead, 2-4. Wade hammered a slide down and then converted a quick in transition for 4-5. Wade then tied it up at 6-6 with a service ace shanked off the defense. A USC error was followed by a Scambray kill from back at the 10-foot line and USC called timeout with UW on a 4-0 run, leading 8-6. The Trojans came back to even it up with consecutive kills from Bricio, then took the lead on a Nwanebu transition finish. Vansant snapped the 3-0 Trojans run with a back row termination. The teams traded leads back and forth, with Scambray earning a couple kills, the second tying it at 11-11. Vansant hammered off the block and it flew back and out wide for a 13-12 Husky lead, but USC answered. Nelson wiped off the block for a kill on the left to make it 15-14. But the Trojans got back in front on a UW misfire, and two-straight Bricio kills made it 16-18 and the Huskies called timeout. Out of the break, Scambray destroyed one up the line to get UW back on track. Vansant then hit out of the back to tie it back at 18-18. But USC answered right back with a pair to retake the lead, 18-20, and the Huskies took time once again. Another clutch Scambray kill off the block set by Tanner made it 19-20. Scambray tied it up at 20-20 with a knuckleball ace. Vansant hammered one after a free ball for 21-all. But UW missed its second serve in a row to give it back to the Trojans. USC had a swing at the next point but Jones and Wade stood up to roof it back down for 22-22. Another Trojans kill was followed by a USC error for 23-all. Another crucial rally that included digs from Vansant and Strickland was ended on a Beals back set to Nelson who put it off the blockers and down to get the Huskies a match point, 24-23, and USC called timeout. When the teams reconvened, Vansant drove her serve low, and it clipped the tape and dropped down for an ace, an agonizing end for USC, but the Huskies were happy to take their good fortune and leave with the 25-23 win and the sweep. The Huskies were actually outhit .262 to .282 in the final set, with Vansant and Scambray both landing five kills without errors, and Strickland providing nine digs. Three Husky aces helped overcome the difference in attack percentage.
Washington gets yet another big road challenge now on Friday, as it heads to the John Wooden Center to face 16th-ranked UCLA, which took the Huskies to five sets in Seattle in the first meeting. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m.
