USC women’s volleyball opened its 2022 season with an impressive sweep over their opponents in the Cardinal and Gold Classic this past weekend.
The No. 24 Trojans opened the tournament Friday night against Colgate. The Trojans started hot in the first set, defeating the Raiders 25-13 and holding Colgate to a negative hitting percentage.
Colagte tried to bounce back in the second set, scoring 20 points, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Trojans, who recorded 17 kills in that set alone. USC was then able to win the third set with ease, recording a match hitting percentage of .457.
“We’re on our way of creating a championship team,” senior opposite hitter Emilia Weske said after Saturday morning’s match. “People out there know what we are about.”
The Trojans continued their hot streak into their second match of the tournament Saturday morning when they took on UMBC. The Trojans opened the match with a 25-15 win in the first set and put up a .393 hitting percentage.
The second set proved much more difficult for the Trojans, however, and USC fell in a 15-6 hole midway though the second set.
For the players, bouncing back was a team effort.
“We just tried to continue to talk about what we’re doing and treat each point as just another rally,” Weske said. “We didn’t really look at the score too much, just went with a neutral mindset for every ball and really kept up the communication, and that helped us lean on each other and get us out of the hole.”
Fighting hard, the Trojans were able to battle back and eventually tie the set up at 22 apiece.
“Good serving and patience and being able to jump on the opportunities, all those things allowed us to get back and have a shot at it,” head coach Brad Keller said. “Being able to pull that second set off was really really good for us.”
Even with the Trojans’ improved play, the Retrievers continued to battle in the second set until USC was able to secure a 30-28 victory.
“It’s just a mentality,” Keller said. “You’ve got to get yourself out of this. You’ve got to win an ugly point. You’ve got to hit the ball on the block, tip over the ball or do something different that’s going to cause a little bit of stress.”
The Trojans carried their hot streak into the third set, where they made quick work of finishing off the Retrievers with a 25-12 victory.
“We’re very excited,” Weske said after the second match. “We got to keep up the focus throughout the second set and into the third, so we’re really glad to get the back to back sweep, which saves us a little bit of leg power because we have another match tonight.”
On top of winning their matches, the Trojans also have to consider how they save energy over the course of a long tournament.
“Three matches in two days is not ideal, and I think we are going to have the ability to not do that in the future,” Keller said. “But it’s really about keeping [the team] as fresh as possible, and simple game plans and making sure we’re on time with everything we do.”
Despite their fatigue, the Trojans battled through and played their third match of the weekend Saturday night against Villanova. The Wildcats offered USC their hardest fight of the tournament, holding the Trojan’s to a .214 average, their lowest average across all three games. However, the Trojans were able to secure their victory in a three set sweep with 25-21, 25-19 and 25-21 victories.
“[We want to set] a relentless mentality,” Keller said. “At the end of the day, there are going to be highs and lows, but if you are just relentless with everything you do, good things are going to happen.”
The Trojans will be back in action this coming weekend when they travel to Omaha, Neb. to take part in the Bluejay Invitational.