After finishing fifth in the Pac-12 standings with an overall record of 18-12 and a conference record of 12-8, USC women’s volleyball will take on the UMBC Retrievers (17-7) in the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday. This is the team’s second consecutive NCAA tournament under head coach Brad Keller. Keller, who has made numerous appearances in the tournament as an assistant coach, is confident that his team is ready to dance.
“I think we’ve gone through so many things this year, we’ve gone through so many different scenarios,” Keller said. “I think we’re actually kind of battle tested for a lot of different things that can occur. So, I think there’s a lot of confidence there.”
UMBC finished first in the America East Conference with an 8-2 conference record, while also winning the conference tournament. Last year, USC swept the Retrievers at Galen Center in the opening weekend. Despite the victory, Keller knows that this year’s UMBC team will be very different from last season.
“Kasey [Crider] is an amazing coach,” Keller said of the Retrievers. “They run a six-two. They’ve got arms all over the place, they love setting a lot of those arms in crucial times and hit their way out of a lot of things. We got a battle coming up, and I can’t wait to see him.”
For senior outside hitter Skylar Fields, who has played in four NCAA tournaments during her time with both USC and Texas, having that experience helps her be a mentor to her teammates.
“I think it kinda helps me be able to lead my team a little bit more, let them know that anybody can win on any given night,” Fields said. “Only thing you can do is survive until the end. So just take it one point at a time, and keep focusing on winning the match.”
Despite ending the regular season on a three-match losing streak, Keller mentioned that making the tournament can rally a team instantaneously.
“How do you not get fired up for this?” Keller asked with a smile. “This is the NCAA’s. You earned the right to be in this place, and it’s win or you go home. This is the best thing ever. So there’s no motivation involved. This is what we do, this is what we want to do, we want to be a part of this. We earned the right to be here, and so, if they’re not up for it, they shouldn’t be here.”
Fields echoed Keller’s statement about how making the NCAA’s got the Trojans hyped up for this weekend.
“It got us super excited. That’s been our goal this whole season was to get into the tournament and then finding out that all of our hard work has paid off is really exciting.”
With a win over UMBC in the first round, USC will most likely take on the Pitt Panthers on Saturday in Pittsburgh in the second round. The Panthers (25-4) claimed a share of the ACC title with a 16-2 conference record and are the tournament’s No. 4 overall seed. They are also one of the 16 first and second-round NCAA hosts.
“They’re really good, their two freshmen are really, really good, well coached,” Keller said. “That team is efficient, and they are relentless on defense, so it’s gonna be a defensive effort from both teams … not actually about the serve and pass game.”
As the Trojans make their way east to take part in the NCAA tournament, Keller is looking forward to the final chapter of the 2023 season with his team.
“Honestly, being around my team at least one more time,” Keller said. “I love the journey, I love these kids, I love what we’re doing here, and any chance I get to be around my staff and my team, I actually love it. So as much as we grind, as much as we are complaining or super happy or super down or whatever it is, we get to do this, and it’s a pretty cool thing.”
The Trojans will take the court against UMBC at 1 p.m. PST on Friday to kick off their campaign for a national championship.