USC women’s volleyball split the two-game series over the weekend in Hawaii. Notable performances from Trojans senior outside hitter Skylar Fields and sophomore setter Mia Tuaniga assisted the team in two intense games against the Rainbow Warriors.
USC secured a close win thanks to Fields’ final game-ending kill, defeating the Rainbow Warriors 25-23 in the first game. This two-point difference in sets, between USC and Hawaii continued until the fourth, when graduate middle blocker Kalyah Williams ended the match with a kill that would put the final score at 25-20.
USC had a total of 12 blocks – led by Williams with six – while Hawaii had a total of five.
USC recorded a season-high 51 kills. Fields had a team-high 14 kills.
“I thought both teams were really athletic and aggressive, which caused a lot of errors from both sides”, head coach Brad Keller said. “Early in the year you want to be aggressive and find out what your team is really about.”
The Trojans were able to avoid a fifth set despite ending the game with a match hitting percentage of .252. The team recorded a total of 46 assists, and Tuaniga led the team with 38 assists.
On Saturday, USC once again led 2-0.
Fields recorded six kills in the first set which allowed the Trojans to secure a 25-22 victory.
Hawaii was able to make a comeback in the third set. The Rainbow Warriors were able to hold a strong six point lead in the third set, giving them the win.
The fourth and fifth set weren’t as close.
“Last night was maybe the most positive thing even though it may never feel that way for the team,” Keller said about the loss against Hawaii on Saturday. “You look inward and see what we have to do and we take emotion out of it and we believe that’s what this team will do.”
USC led the match in assists with 59, 49 of those coming from Tuaniga. Fields was stellar on back-to-back nights, leading the team in kills and aces.
“We are going to do a couple different changes, speed up changes, push some stuff to change a little bit,” Keller said. “We have a lot of ability to create points, which is what we need. Right now the focus is on New Mexico State and that is the only thing we are going to think about.”
USC travels back to Galen Center this week to host the Trojan Challenge, playing New Mexico State on September 15, Milwaukee on September 16 and San Jose State on September 18.