Huskies Unable To Put Away Trojans In Five

Friday, November 1

Seattle, WA

8:00 PM

University of Washington

16-5, 7-4Pac-12

USC

13-8, 7-4Pac-12

USC

Washington

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

November 02, 2019 | Volleyball

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By: UW Athletic Communications

SEATTLE – USC stormed back to stun the 12th-ranked Huskies in Alaska Airlines Arena tonight, handing the Huskies (16-5, 7-4 Pac-12) their first home loss of the season in front of 2,420 fans. Washington led two sets to one and was up 20-15 in the fourth set when USC (13-8, 7-4 Pac-12) scored 10 of the final 11 points of the set to force a fifth which they won. Final set scores were 18-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-21, 15-11.

USC's Khalia Lanier racked up 33 kills for the Trojans, with no other USC player getting to double figures, partly due to an injury at the end of the third set to Brooke Botkin. But the Trojans still found a way, leaving Husky Head Coach Keegan Cook "disappointed."

"It's really hard to be great and the margins are very thin and I'm disappointed that we weren't able to close out that fourth set or be better in the fifth," said Cook.

The Huskies did many things right to build the lead. Sophomore Shannon Crenshaw had one of her best matches, hitting for a career-high 13 kills on a .300 attack percentage and adding a career-high 21 digs.

"What a day for Shannon. If not for losing that match that's what we'd be talking about first. A kid who has been working so hard for two years and certainly made the most of her opportunity tonight … she certainly gave us a chance to win."

Kara Bajema had 20 kills tonight and 19 digs and Ella May Powell had 47 assists, three aces, and 14 digs. Junior Lauren Sanders was efficient offensively with nine kills on 11 swings to hit .636 and added five block assists.

USC hit .245 for the match while the Huskies finished at .222. The Huskies had a big edge in digs, 73 to 59, but USC finished with one more block (12.5 to 11.5) and one more ace (8-7).

This is the first time since 2011 that USC swept the season series against the Huskies.

UP NEXT: The Huskies will be back in action this Sunday at 2 p.m. for Dawgs & Daughters Day against 25th-ranked UCLA.

SET 1: The Trojans scored twice to start the match before Drechsel hit off the block and out for UW's first point. Lauren Sanders picked up a pair of kills on the slide from Powell but the Trojans held a three-point lead at 6-9. Shannon Crenshaw had a great dig to lead to a Bajema kill, and then Bajema stuffed a tip and Maria Bogomolova fired an ace to tie it up at 9-9. Bajema lasered another transition swing to the floor and then she ended another long rally with a solo block for 11-9 to force a USC timeout as the Dawgs had scored six in a row. Bajema found an extremely sharp angle from the left straight to the sideline for 13-10. Niece had a near block that resulted in a free ball and Drechsel finished from the right to extend to 16-11. McPherson bump set to Drechsel for another big blast from the right for 19-13. Crenshaw had consecutive kills, one from the back row, and she then served an ace up the sideline for 23-15. Sanders got the Huskies to set point with another kill on the slide after a perfect McPherson pass. Bajema's fifth kill of the set ended it, 25-18.

The Huskies hit a sizzling .433 in the first set and held USC to a .154 mark with Bajema and Drechsel each finishing five kills and Powell handing out 14 assists. The Dawgs also held a 18-9 edge in digs with six from Crenshaw.

SET 2: Washington scored the first three points of the second set but then USC came back with six straight points to force the Huskies into a timeout down 3-6. Bajema got one back with an ace for 5-7. A block by Powell and Sanders got the Huskies within two again at 8-10, but the Trojans answered with another 3-0 run to take a 8-13 lead. A couple USC errors and then a Powell service ace crept UW back within three at 13-16. Drechsel and Niece blocked one to keep things close at 15-18. USC aced the Huskies for the third time in the set to go back up five at 16-21 and force the final Husky timeout. Sanders finished a slide in serve-receive out of the break and then Bajema put down a bump set from Crenshaw to score again. Another Bajema finish cut it to 19-21 and forced USC into a timeout. Out of the break, Sanders and Powell teamed for a block to make it a one-point set before USC got a kill to end the 4-0 run. Sanders had a slide kill for 21-22 but USC got the sideout and then blocked Bajema to get to set point at 21-24. USC had a double to miss one chance, but on the next point a dig from the Trojan libero spun just over the net and threw off the Huskies and fell for a kill for the 25-22 set win.

Washington hit just .103 in the set compared to .314 for the Trojans who had nine kills in the set from Khalia Lanier.

SET 3: Niece had a kill for 2-2 in the third. The teams were even again at 5-all. Washington got aced twice in a 5-1 run for the Trojans to make it 7-11 and the Huskies called timeout. Sanders won a joust at the net and then Bajema ended a marathon rally by pushing one up the line and down for 9-11. USC got back up four but Bajema had a right side tip and Drechsel pounded one from the right for 13-15. A Husky triple block with Sanders in the middle cut it to one at 15-16. Drechsel then tied it up with a sharp tip from right to left. Drechsel then launched a bump set from near the first row up to the net and Crenshaw wiped it off the block and out for a Husky 18-17 lead, forcing a USC timeout. Out of the break, Crenshaw went offspeed for another kill after a nice Bajema dig. A third-straight kill was hammered by Crenshaw for 20-17 and the Trojans took timeout again. USC scored twice out of the break but then missed serve for 21-19. A second Husky triple block was followed shortly by a Bajema blast off the block for set point at 24-19. The Huskies closed it out on their first chance with a Sanders kill for the 25-19 win.

Crenshaw gave the Huskies the huge boost in the third set as she had six kills on 11 swings without an error and Bajema had four kills on 12 swings without a miss with six digs. Washington hit .325 in the set compared to .211 for the Trojans.

SET 4: Drechsel had a solo stuff for a 3-2 lead in the fourth set but the Huskies gave USC two free ones on blocking errors. Sanders turned on another slide kill for 5-4. Crenshaw rifled another kill and then Bajema saw an overdig and slide over to tap it into open space for 9-6 and the Trojans took time. A couple Husky errors evened it back up at 11-11, but the Huskies got the lead back when Crenshaw launched a bump set to Drechsel who hammered it off the block and down. Drechsel then dialed up an ace for 14-12. A Bogomolova serve was overpassed and Niece hammered it down for 17-14 to prompt the last Trojans timeout. Two USC errors was followed by an ace by Powell to make it 20-15 Dawgs. But the Trojans dug in and scored four quick points in a row to get back into it and the Huskies took timeout at 20-19. The Huskies still couldn't get a handle on USC's serve, overpassing for a USC kill and then getting aced for a seventh straight USC point and now the Huskies took timeout again down 20-22. USC won a long rally to make it 20-23 before missing serve to end the 8-0 run. But they came back with a kill from their setter on two, and then UW got aced again as the Trojans ended the set on a 10-1 run, with the only Husky point being a USC service error.

Washington hit just .167 in the set while USC hit .324.

SET 5: Crenshaw deposited a deep tip in the corner and then Bajema rolled for a back row kill for a 3-2 lead. But UW hit two straight out of bounds for a couple Trojan points to go down 3-5. Bajema tooled the block for 5-6. A Trojan block made it 5-8 at the media timeout. Bajema tipped for a kill for 7-9 but then Lanier had three kills in a row for USC and UW took timeout down 7-12. Crenshaw got one down off the block out of the break, but then Drechsel was blocked as she went to hit down an overpass for a big momentum swing in USC's favor. Washington made a push with three straight, Bajema finishing a Powell set for 11-13 and a USC timeout, but out of the break it was Lanier again finishing to get to match point and she ended it on the next rally with her 33rd kill.

The Huskies had eight kills and eight errors to hit .000 in the final set while USC was at .235.