By Myke Williams
Sports Reporter
The USC women’s volleyball team dream season got even better when it claimed the No. 1 ranking in the nation this week after beating No. 5 Washington last Sunday. Their 3-1 victory over previously unbeaten Huskies at the Galen Center on the USC campus proved that they are a special team.
“What makes this team special is the new people we have this year,” said 6-2 senior outside hitter Samantha Bricio, who is probably the best player in the nation right now.
“They work really hard and we have a lot of really good players so the competition in practice is at a high level every day. We are a different team than we were last year. We left last year in the past. This year we only think about game by game and we don’t think about being undefeated. That’s the mentality of this team.”
Against Washington Bricio had 27 kills and 16 digs and scored 31.5 points of the Trojans 83.0. Other Trojans who are playing at a high level are Brittany Abercrombie, Alyse Ford, Victoria Garrick, Baylee Johnson, Alicia Ogoms, Alice Pizzasegola, Elise Ruddins and Taylor Whittingham.
“Ogoms is a big-time blocker and our freshmen group is very resilient,” said USC head coach Mick Haley last Sunday after the win over Washington. “We are having fun out there. They really like each other. After the some of the early games of the season Samantha told her teammates that she is really enjoying playing volleyball again.”
It’s still a long season and one of the things the Trojans have to look out for is injuries and over extending players. “Players are tired right now,” said Haley. “It’s going to come down to, who is competing the best. Hopefully we can survive October and November and get back to playing at a high level in December.”
The Trojans will be on the road this weekend starting Friday against Colorado at 7 p.m. and Utah on Sunday at noon. They return home to face Arizona State on Friday, October 16 at 8 p.m. and Arizona on Sunday, October 18 at 11 a.m. Both games will be played at the Galen Center.
UCLA women’s volleyball team is currently ranked 12th in the nation with a overall record of 11-3 and 2-2 in the Pac-12 conference. They will also be on the road this weekend when they visit Utah on Friday at 5 p.m. and Colorado on Sunday at 11 a.m.
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