No. 6 USC Volleyball Team Wraps Up 2010 Regular Season with Pac-10 Finale at No. 9 UCLA

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No. 6 USC Volleyball Team Wraps Up 2010 Regular Season with Pac-10 Finale at No. 9 UCLA
 
Friday, November 26 - Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion)
No. 6 USC (24-4, 13-4) vs. No. 9 UCLA (21-7, 11-6) - 5 p.m.
All-time series: USC leads, 50-45
 
All times local to game site
Live video webcast on usctrojans.com (subscription required) - home matches only
 
LOS ANGELES -- The No. 6 USC women's volleyball team (24-4, 13-4) concludes the 2010 regular season on Friday (Nov. 26) at No. 9 UCLA (21-7, 11-6) at 7 p.m.  USC has clinched third place in the Pac-10 Conference standings, trailing first-place Cal (14-2) and second-place Stanford (13-3).  The Women of Troy have won 10 of their last 11 matches heading into Friday's match.
 
No. 9 UCLA Notes
UCLA is 21-7 on the season and 11-6 in the Pac-10 Conference.  Head coach Mike Sealy is 21-7 in his first season at UCLA.  Senior outside hitter Dicey McGraw has 387 kills (3.87 kps) with 145 digs (1.45 dps), 42 blocks (0.42 bps) and 428.0 points (4.28 pps).  USC leads the all-time series with UCLA by a 50-45 margin as the Women of Troy snapped a three-match losing streak to the Bruins on Sept. 24 with a four-set win at the Galen Center (25-19, 19-25, 25-16, 25-19).
 
Have You Heard The News?
The USC women's volleyball team will find out its fate for the 2010 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament this Sunday (Nov. 28) from approximately 12-12:30 p.m. Pacific time on ESPN News.  USC is looking to make its 20th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Power of the Pac-10
Seven Pac-10 teams are ranked in the current AVCA poll, including No. 2 California, No. 4 Stanford, No. 6 USC, No. 9 UCLA, No. 13 Washington, No. 20 Arizona and No. 24 Oregon.
 
Thousand Points of Light
Head coach Mick Haley registered his 1,000th women's collegiate victory as a head coach on August 27 against Loyola Marymount.  Along with his combined NCAA wins at USC and Texas (1980-1996), Haley had 251 wins as the women's head coach at Kellogg Community College (1973-79).
 
It's All Academic
Senior Geena Urango became the first USC women's volleyball player to earn Pac-10 Conference All-Academic first team honors this year since Emily Adams did so in 2003.  Urango earned the honor after posting a 3.74 grade-point-average in communications.  She will work on her master's degree in communication management at USC.
 
Junior Kendall Bateman earned Pac-10 Conference All-Academic honorable mention recognition with a 3.06 GPA in business.
 
Lock and Reloaded
USC's incoming recruiting class for the 2010 season was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Prep Volleyball.  The players are 6-2 outside hitter Kirby Burnham (Newport Beach/Newport Harbor HS), 6-4 outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana (Hermosa Beach/Mira Costa HS), 5-9 libero Natalie Hagglund (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS), 5-10 outside hitter Sam Hirschmann (Manhattan Beach/Marymount HS), 6-5 middle blocker Alexis Olgard (Spokane, Wash./Mead HS) and 6-3 outside hitter Sara Shaw (Austin, Texas/Westlake HS).
 
The class includes five players ranked in the Top 100 nationally by Prep Volleyball, including three players in the top 11 spots and the No. 1 player in the nation (Fonoimoana).
“This class gives us a group of players that will add firepower to our lineup and make immediate contributions,” said USC head coach Mick Haley.  “These kids can play the game and we will have immense depth on the squad.  There are no kids in this class that are ‘projects’ and it’s evidenced by what they are doing for their high school and club teams.  I think these kids want to compete and win a championship.”
 
Court of Dreams
The dream finally became reality on Oct. 12, 2006 as the brand-new Galen Center made its debut.  The 10,258-seat arena is located on the corner of Figueroa St. and Jefferson Blvd., adjacent to the USC campus.  The arena is named after Lou and Helene Galen, who generously donated $50 million towards the project.
 
USC mourned the loss of Lou Galen, who passed away on Nov. 12, 2007, at the age of 82.
 
Statapalooza
-- Alex Jupiter moved into second place on USC's career list for points last weekend, passing Jessica Gysin (1,514.0 points) and Bibiana Candelas (1,512.0 points).  She trails Keao Burdine (1,689.5 points) for first place.
-- Kendall Bateman moved into sixth place on USC's career list for assists last weekend, passing Tracy Lindquist (2,766 assists) and Monika Cavaliere (2,747 assists).
-- Two top-five teams in the current AVCA poll (No. 3 Hawai'i and No. 4 California) have had their only loss or losses of the season come at the hands of USC.  The Women of Troy won in five sets at Hawai'i on Sept. 5 while they beat the Golden Bears twice this season.
-- As of November 22, USC is ranked No. 8 nationally in the latest NCAA RPI rankings.
-- USC is 64-8 all-time at the Galen Center.
-- USC has 10 players on its roster this season who are 6-2 or taller.
-- Alex Jupiter became the 17th player in USC history to record 1,000 kills in her career on September 24 against UCLA.
-- As of November 22, USC is sixth in the nation for hitting percentage (.295), 11th for assists (13.49 aps) and 17th for kills per set (14.32 kps).
-- Kendall Bateman is third in the nation for assists (12.31 aps).
-- Alex Jupiter is ninth in the nation for points (5.26 pps) and 15th for kills (4.41 kps).
-- Lauren Williams is first in the nation for hitting percentage (.435).
-- Alexis Olgard is 14th in the nation for hitting percentage (.398).
-- As of November 22, USC is third among all conference teams in assists (13.49 aps), kills (14.32 kps), hitting percentage (.295) and fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.179) and aces (1.34 saps).
-- Alex Jupiter is second among all Pac-10 Conference players in service aces (0.36 saps), fourth for points (5.26 pps) and kills (4.41 kps).
-- Kendall Bateman is first among Pac-10 players for assists (12.31 aps).
-- Lauren Williams is first among Pac-10 players for hitting percentage (.435).
-- Alexis Olgard is fourth among Pac-10 players for hitting percentage (.398).
-- Natalie Hagglund is seventh among Pac-10 players for digs (3.89 dps).
-- The nine points scored by Arizona in the second set of the Nov. 12 match at the Galen Center were the fewest points allowed by a USC squad in a non-fifth set since Nov. 20, 2001, when the Women of Troy allowed a similar nine points in a set at Oregon State.
-- USC has made 19 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
-- The Women of Troy made five NCAA Final Four appearances in an eight-year span (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007).
-- USC became the 22nd program in the nation to record 800 wins.  The Women of Troy recorded its 800th win on Nov. 15, 2008, against Arizona State.
-- On October 23, 2010, head coach Mick Haley was at the helm of the USC women's volleyball program for his 300th match with his win over Oregon State giving him an 81% winning percentage during that time.
-- Mick Haley earned his 200th victory as USC's head coach on Nov. 1, 2008, against Oregon State at the Galen Center.
 
Out Of This World
Junior outside hitter Alex Jupiter (Paris, France/Redondo Union HS) became the 31st All-American in USC women's volleyball history after earning AVCA All-America third team honors in 2009.  This season, she has 432 kills (4.41 kps) while hitting .300 with 35 service aces (0.36 saps), 242 digs (2.47 dps), 66 blocks (31 solo, 0.67 bps) and 515.5 points (5.26 pps).  For Pac-10 Conference matches this season, Jupiter has 309 kills (4.54 kps) while hitting .302 with 19 aces (0.28 saps), 167 digs (2.46 dps), 48 blocks (19 solo, 0.71 bps) and 361.5 points (5.32 pps).
 
Jupiter has 14 double-doubles this season and 11 in 17 Pac-10 Conference matches.
 
She had 20 kills and 12 digs on a .347 night (20-3-49) with an ace and two blocks in a five-set win on Nov. 20 at No. 23 Oregon.  She had 34 kills in two win at home against No. 20 Arizona and Arizona State (Nov. 12-13).  Against the Wildcats, she had 16 kills while hitting .308 with five blocks (two solo) and followed up with 18 kills while hitting .424 with 12 digs and four blocks (two solo).  On Nov. 5 at No. 2 California, Jupiter posted 17 kills, 11 digs and five blocks (two solo) in a four-set win over the Golden Bears.
 
Out Of This World (cont.)
She was named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week and Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season on Nov. 1 after she recorded 42 kills in wins at home against Washington State and then-No. 7 Washington.  She became the first player in the history of the USC women's volleyball program to earn national player of the week honors twice in a season.
 
She had 12 kills and seven digs while hitting .318 in the 3-0 sweep of Washington State on Oct. 29 and followed with a spectacular match on the FOX Sports Net Game of the Week against Washington.  She had 30 kills (one away from her personal best) in the five-set win over the Huskies with 14 digs and a .414 hitting percentage (30-6-58).  After getting only three kills in the first set, she came back with eight kills in the second set and nine kills in the third with no errors for a .607 hitting clip in those two sets.  Her effort against Washington moved her into fifth place on USC's all-time list for career points.
 
She posted 20 kills and 10 digs with three solo blocks on Oct. 22 in a five-set win over No. 16 Oregon while hitting .429 (20-2-42).  During the fifth set against the Ducks, she had two kills and two solo blocks.  On Oct. 16 at No. 25 Arizona, she had 17 kills, 12 digs, three aces and a key solo block in the fifth set as USC defeated the Wildcats.
 
She had a season-high 26 kills and 18 digs in a five-set win on Oct. 9 against No. 7 California and 19 kills with 10 digs on Oct. 8 in a four-set loss to top-ranked Stanford.  She recorded a team-high 23 kills with 14 digs, two aces and three blocks in a five-set loss on Oct. 1 at No. 10 Washington and followed with 19 kills and a .516 clip (19-3-31) in a 3-0 sweep at Washington State the next evening.
 
On Sept. 24 against No. 11 UCLA, she registered her 1,000th career kill and became just the 17th player in USC history to accomplish the feat.  She posted a team-high 21 kills to go with 12 digs in the four-set win against the Bruins.  She had 14 kills and nine digs in a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 17 at Fresno State.  On Sept. 10 against Virginia, she had 10 kills and hit .500 (10-2-16) with an ace, five digs and a solo block in the 3-0 sweep.
 
She became the sixth player in USC history to earn AVCA National Player of the Week honors on Sept. 6 after earning most outstanding player honors at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu (Sept. 3-5).  She also was named Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week, the first time she earned that honor.  She posted 49 kills (4.45 kps) in three matches against three teams that were receiving votes in the coaches' poll with four aces, 26 digs (2.36 dps), 10 blocks (0.91 bps) and 61.0 points (5.55 pps).  She did not have one reception error in 58 attempts on the weekend.  Against New Mexico, she had 10 kills, seven digs and three solo blocks in a 3-0 sweep.  In another 3-0 sweep, this time against Michigan State, she had 17 kills and six blocks while hitting .483 (17-3-29).  In the tournament finale against No. 4 Hawai'i, she had 22 kills and 16 digs in a five-set win over the Rainbow Wahine. 
 
She posted her first double-double of the season on Aug. 28 in a four-set win over Cal State Fullerton with 23 kills and 10 digs against the Titans.  She earned Luxe City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament team honors after posting 29 kills (4.14 kps) with eight aces (1.14 saps), 17 digs (2.43 dps) and 39.0 points (5.57 pps). 
 
She led the Women of Troy in 2009 with 522 kills (4.54 kps) with 33 aces (0.29 saps), 308 digs (2.68 dps), 73 blocks (0.63 bps) and 608.0 points (5.29 pps).  She also earned her first All-Pac-10 Conference honor as well as being named AVCA All-Pacific Region.  Her 522 kills were the fourth-most in school history, along with her 5.29 points per set average.
 
She finished seventh in the nation for points per set and 12th for kills per set during her sophomore season and recorded 15 double-doubles.  She was third among all Pac-10 Conference players in points and kills and fourth for service aces.  She tallied 23 kills in a 3-0 sweep over Oklahoma on Dec. 4, 2009, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  She posted 22 kills and a season-high .514 clip (22-3-37) with 10 digs, four blocks and 24.5 points in a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 20 at No. 18 Oregon. 
 
On Sept. 26 at Arizona State, Jupiter posted career-highs with 31 kills and 20 digs in a four-set win while hitting .433 (31-5-60).  She earned Holiday Inn LA City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament team honors after recording 41 kills, 21 digs and seven blocks (five solo) in three 3-0 sweeps.
 
During her 2008 freshman season, she registered 350 kills (3.24 kps) with 12 service aces (0.11 saps), 122 digs (1.13 dps), 59 blocks (0.55 bps) and 403.0 points (3.73 pps).  She was named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Freshman Team.  Jupiter recorded double digit kills in 20 matches and became the third freshman at USC since 1981 to lead the team in kills (Tracy Clark in 1982 and April Ross in 2000).
 
Out Of This World (cont.)
She had her coming-out party at the Runza/AVCA Showcase against No. 4 Texas and No. 7 Nebraska.  Jupiter, who was a 2008 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, led the Trojans in kills for both matches with 17 against the Longhorns and 12 against the Huskers.  She also had 13 digs and four service aces on the weekend.
 
Take The Bait
Junior setter Kendall Bateman (Manhattan Beach/Mira Costa HS) is putting up numbers worthy of All-America consideration with 1,280 assists (12.31 aps) this season with 229 digs (2.20 dps) and 39 blocks (0.38 bps).
 
With Bateman handling the team's offense, USC is sixth in the nation this season for hitting percentage (.295).
 
She had 61 assists with 13 digs and three blocks on Nov. 20 in a five-set win at No. 23 Oregon as the Women of Troy hit .360 as a team.  Against No. 20 Arizona on Nov. 12, she steered the Trojans to a .365 hitting night in the 3-0 sweep with 34 assists and eight digs.  In a four-set win on Nov. 13 against Arizona State, the team hit .348 as she had 49 assists with two kills, 13 digs and two blocks.
 
She posted a career-high 5.0 points on Nov. 5 against No. 2 California, tying her career bests with three kills and two service aces.  In the four-set win against the Golden Bears, she registered 58 assists and eight digs.  Against Washington State on Oct. 29, the Women of Troy hit .373 in the three-set sweep with Bateman getting 38 assists.  The next day against then-No. 7 Washington, she recorded 57 assists and 12 digs in the five-set win against the Huskies.
 
She recorded a career-high 71 assists (14.20 aps) in a five-set win on Oct. 22 against No. 16 Oregon and orchestrated an offensive attack that hit .392 against the Ducks.  The following night, she had 41 assists in a 3-0 sweep of Oregon State as the Trojans hit .370 for the match. 
 
On Oct. 9 in a five-set win against No. 7 California, she had 64 assists and 12 digs.  She had 53 assists and 13 digs in a five-set loss on Oct. 1 at No. 10 Washington and recorded 39 assists in a 3-0 sweep the next night at Washington State.  In a four-set win on Sept. 24 against No. 11 UCLA, she had 49 assists and 12 digs.
 
She was named most outstanding player for the Fresno State Invitational (Sept. 17-18) after recording 102 assists (11.33 aps) in three 3-0 sweeps against Fresno State, Cal State Bakersfield and Sacramento State.  She had 17 digs (1.89 dps) and five blocks (0.56 bps).  She had 41 assists and nine digs in a 3-0 sweep of Virginia on Sept. 10 at the Galen Center.
 
She earned all-tournament honors at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu after leading USC to a 3-0 mark with wins over No. 4 Hawai'i, New Mexico and Michigan State.  She had 126 assists (11.45 aps), 17 digs (1.55 dps) and 11 blocks (1.00 bps) as she guided the team to a .302 hitting percentage on the weekend.  She had a career-high six blocks in the five-set win on Sept. 5 against No. 4 Hawai'i, adding 53 assists and six digs.  She posted 41 assists and guided the Women of Troy to a .407 hitting night in a 3-0 sweep of Michigan State.
 
She registered a then-career high 66 assists and career-high 18 digs on Aug. 28 in a four-set win against Cal State Fullerton to earn Luxe City Center Trojan Invitation most valuable player honors after recording 130 assists (13.00 aps) and 33 digs (3.30 dps) as the Women of Troy won the tournament title.
 
She earned 2009 Pac-10 Conference honorable mention and Pac-10 Conference All-Academic honorable mention recognition last season after leading the nation with a 12.41 assists per set average.  She recorded 227 digs (1.97 dps) and 48 blocks (0.42 bps) on the season and handled an offense that hit .248, ranking 35th in the nation.  USC also finished second in the nation for assists per set and kills per set.
 
She posted 49 assists and 12 digs against Oklahoma in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at the Galen Center and finished the regular season by registering career highs with 62 assists (15.5 aps) and 15 digs in a four-set win on Nov. 28 against No. 19 Arizona. She earned her first-ever Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week honor on Nov. 23 after recording 80 assists and 10 digs in two 3-0 sweeps.  She had 57 assists, seven digs and three block assists against No. 4 Washington on Nov. 13 in a five-set win and then posted 60 assists (15.00 aps) with eight digs in a four-set win against No. 25 Washington State.
 
Take The Bait (cont.)
Bateman appeared in 24 matches in her freshman season and recorded 117 assists on the season (2.72 aps) with two aces (0.05 saps), 32 digs (0.74 dps) and seven blocks (0.16 bps).  She had two assists and one dig in her collegiate debut on Aug. 29 against No. 3 Texas at the Runza/AVCA College Showcase in Omaha, Neb.  She recorded 10 assists and two digs on Sept. 5 against Hofstra at the Holiday Inn LA City Center Trojan Invitational. She recorded 10 assists in two sets on Oct. 4 at No. 11 Oregon.  At No. 10 UCLA on Nov. 28, she came into the third set and tallied 14 assists, two digs and one block assist.  She made her first collegiate start in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 5 against No. 15 San Diego, recording season-highs in the four-set victory with 25 assists, 10 digs and four blocks.  She got the start the next night in the second round against No. 6 Hawai'i and had 16 assists and three digs.
 
During the summer of 2008, Bateman played for the U.S. Junior National Team, playing at the FIVB World Championship in Mexico.  She was a two-time member of the U.S. Girls' National Team, part of the squad that finished 10th at the 2007 FIVB Girls' World Championship in Mexico and a member of the squad that won the 2006 NORCECA championship.
 
She was a two-time Mizuno/Volleyball Magazine All-American at Mira Costa and led the Mustangs to a perfect 37-0 record and the school's fourth straight state championship in her senior season.  She was part of the mythical national championship squads in her junior and senior seasons as named by prepvolleyball.com and named CIF most valuable player in her senior season.
 
No Harm, No Foul
Freshman outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana (Hermosa Beach/Mira Costa HS) was ranked as the No. 1 high school senior in the nation by Prep Volleyball and has been regarded by some as one of the best players ever at the high school level.  She is garnering attention as a possible National Freshman of Year candidate, as well as a possible Freshman All-American.
 
This season, she has 308 kills (3.21 kps) with 20 aces (0.21 saps), 143 digs (1.49 dps), 41 blocks (0.43 bps) and 360.5 points (3.76 pps).  She has recorded 20 kills in a match five times this season, all in Pac-10 Conference play.
 
She had a team-high 22 kills in a five-set win on Nov. 20 at No. 23 Oregon, hitting .392 (22-2-51) with seven digs and two blocks.  On Nov. 13, she registered a season-high 23 kills in a four-set win over Arizona State while hitting .442 (23-4-43) with two aces, five digs and three blocks.  In the match, she was a perfect 7-for-7 in the first set alone.
 
She had 20 kills with a then-season-high 13 kills on Nov. 5 in a four-set win at No. 2 California, hitting .359 and adding two solo blocks.  On a televised match against No. 7 Washington on Oct. 30, she registered a season-high 21 kills and hit .311 (21-7-45) with two aces, eight digs and two blocks including a key four kills in the fifth set of the victory.
 
She posted a then-season-high 20 kills and 21.0 points in a four-set loss on Oct. 15 at Arizona State, following up with a double-double in a five-set win on Oct. 16 at No. 25 Arizona (13 kills, 11 digs).
 
She had 15 kills, eight digs and two solo blocks in a five-set win against No. 7 California on Oct. 9 at the Galen Center.  On Oct. 1 at No. 10 Washington, she had 16 kills, nine digs and two solo blocks in a five-set loss.  She had a season-high 17 kills, hitting .371 (17-4-35) on Sept. 24 in a four-set win against No. 11 UCLA.
 
She posted her first collegiate double-double on Sept. 18 against Sacramento State with 10 kills and 11 digs in a 3-0 sweep, hitting .381 (10-2-21) with two aces and one block.  She hit .800 (8-0-10) on Sept. 17 at Fresno State and for the weekend at the Fresno State Invitational (Sept. 17-18), she led the Trojans with 32 kills and 17 digs.
 
Fonoimoana was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and a 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection.  She earned 2009 All-CIF Southern Section first team honors and was named Daily Breeze Player of the Year after recording 664 kills and 311 digs on the season with 63 blocks and 34 aces. She was named 2007 National Sophomore of the Year by Prep Volleyball after teaming with current USC setter Kendall Bateman to lead Mira Costa to the CIF-Southern Section I-AA title with 17 kills in the final over Redondo Union.
 
Her mother, Debbie, played beach volleyball and trained with her sister, Lelei, who swam in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, placing seventh in the 100m Butterfly at 17 years old.  Her uncle, Eric, won a gold medal in 2000 in Sydney for beach volleyball and was a longtime standout on the AVP Tour.
 
Where There's A Will, There's A Way
Junior middle blocker Lauren Williams (Houston, Texas/Stratford HS) has 189 kills (2.30 kps) with a .419 hitting percentage, 27 digs (0.31 dps) and 79 blocks (0.90 bps) this season.
 
As of Nov. 22, Williams leads the nation with a .435 hitting percentage.
 
She recorded 26 kills in two matches (Nov. 19 and 20) at Oregon State and No. 23 Oregon while hitting .590 for the weekend with nine blocks.  In the five-set win at No. 23 Oregon, she tied her career highs with 19 kills and eight blocks while hitting .533 (19-3-30).  The previous night, she hit .778 (7-0-9) in the 3-0 sweep against Oregon State.  She had nine kills with six blocks while hitting .615 (9-1-13) on Nov. 12 in a 3-0 sweep of No. 20 Arizona.  In a four-set win on Nov. 5 at No. 2 California, she had 11 kills with five blocks while hitting .429 (11-2-21).
 
She tied her personal best with eight blocks (the fifth time she did so in her career) on Oct. 30 against Washington.  She had one of her best matches of the season on Oct. 22 in a five-set win at home against No. 16 Oregon when she had a season-high 17 kills and hit .640 (17-1-25) against the Ducks.  On Oct. 16 at No. 25 Arizona, she had 13 kills and no errors while hitting .565 (13-0-23).
 
Williams registered all-tournament honors at the Fresno State Invitational (Sept. 17-18) after hitting .421 on the weekend with five blocks (1.00 bps).
 
She earned all-tournament honors at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu after leading USC to a 3-0 mark with wins over No. 4 Hawai'i, New Mexico and Michigan State.  She was second on the team with 31 kills (2.82 kps) while hitting .473 with 18 blocks (1.64 bps).  She had 12 kills and six blocks while hitting .450 (12-3-20) in a 3-0 sweep of New Mexico and followed that up with 14 kills and six blocks while tying her career high of five assists in the five-set win over No. 4 Hawai'i.
 
She garnered Luxe City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament honors after registering 25 kills (3.57 kps) in three matches while hitting .622 (25-2-37).
 
Last year, she made 30 starts in 31 matches as a sophomore.  She finished fourth among Pac-10 Conference players with a .371 hitting percentage and third on the team with 281 kills (2.55 kps).  Last season, she recorded 15 assists (0.14 aps), 19 digs (0.17 dps) and 343.5 points (3.12 pps) while leading the team with 105 total blocks (0.95 bps) with 20 solo blocks.  She finished the season with double-digit kills in four consecutive matches.
 
She had a team-high 14 kills and hit .407 (14-3-27) with a career-high eight block assists against No. 3 Hawai'i on Dec. 5, 2009, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and recorded 10 kills and no errors for a season-high .714 clip (10-0-14) against Oklahoma on Dec. 4 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
She earned her first-ever Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week honor on Nov. 16 after registering 33 kills while hitting .462 with 11 blocks and 41.0 points in wins over No. 4 Washington and No. 25 Washington State.  She had 14 kills and eight blocks (four solo) while hitting .364 against Washington.  She followed that with a career-high 19 kills against Washington State without a single error for a .559 night (19-0-34).
 
In her first collegiate season, Williams earned Pac-10 Conference honorable mention recognition and was named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Freshman Team.  She had 209 kills (2.11 kps) with a .323 hitting percentage and a team-leading 103 blocks (1.04 bps) with 15 solo blocks and 88 block assists.  She recorded 11 blocks (two solo, nine assisted) in her first two collegiate matches at the Runza/AVCA Showcase against No. 4 Texas and No. 7 Nebraska.  On Oct. 11, 2008, in a five-set loss to No. 10 Washington, Williams recorded a season-high 16 kills with six block assists while hitting .462 (16-4-26).  She hit .550 (12-1-20) on Nov. 21 at No. 2 Stanford and followed it with a .455 match (11-1-22) with four blocks at No. 7 Cal.
 
She played on the 2008 U.S. Women's A2 National Team and played on the 2007 Junior National Training Team.
 
Surf's Up
Freshman libero Natalie Hagglund (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS) was rated the top incoming libero by Prep Volleyball and 27th overall recruit.  Along with her volleyball prowess, Hagglund is an accomplished surfer, winning the 2007 San Diego County High School Girls' Long Board Surfing championship.
 
She has 397 digs (3.89 dps) this season for the Women of Troy. 
 
On Nov. 20 at No. 23 Oregon, she had 20 digs in the five-set win against the Ducks.  She had 16 digs in a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 12 against No. 20 Arizona.  She posted 23 digs on Oct. 30 against No. 7 Washington and had a season-high 28 digs (7.00 dps) in a four-set loss at Arizona State.
 
On Sept. 24 against No. 11 UCLA, she had 19 digs in the four-set win against the Bruins.  She had a season-high 22 digs in a five-set win on Sept. 5 at No. 4 Hawai'i.  Her previous high of 21 digs came on August 28 against Cal State Fullerton (4 sets).
 
She earned 2009-10 Under Armour All-America first team honors and played for the La Costa Canyon High squad that won the San Diego Section Division I championship in four sets.  Hagglund played for the 2009 U.S. Under-19 Beach Volleyball squad as part of the No. 2 team and was part of the youngest team ever to qualify for the main draw of the AVP Manhattan Beach Open (2009).  In high school, she was a member of the 2008 La Costa Canyon High squad that was named national champions by Prep Volleyball and Max Preps.
 
Standing Guard
Freshman middle blocker Alexis Olgard (Spokane, Wash./Mead HS) has 159 kills (1.77 kps) this season while hitting .398 with 24 digs (0.27 dps), 10 aces (0.11 saps) and 66 blocks (0.73 bps).
 
In two wins at Oregon State and No. 23 Oregon (Nov. 19-20), she had 14 kills combined and hit .583 (8-1-12) against Oregon State with four blocks and .417 (6-1-12) against Oregon.
 
She had 15 combined kills with no errors for a .625 hitting clip in wins against Washington State and No. 7 Washington (Oct. 29-30).  She had seven kills on 10 swings (.700) with two digs and two blocks against WSU and eight kills on 14 swings (.571) with three blocks (two solo) against Washington.
 
On Oct. 22 against No. 16 Oregon, she had 10 kills and six blocks and followed it up the next night with eight kills and a .636 night (8-1-11) in a 3-0 sweep of Oregon State.  She had 10 kills and no errors with three solo blocks on Oct. 16 in a five-set win at No. 25 Arizona.
 
She posted season highs for kills in successive nights on Oct. 8 and 9.  Against No. 1 Stanford on Oct. 8, she had nine kills with no errors and three blocks for a .450 night and recorded 12 kills in a .500 night with two blocks against No. 7 California.  Her block, along with teammate Alex Jupiter, while USC was down 14-12 in the fifth set against the Golden Bears sparked a 5-1 run as the Women of Troy pulled out the victory.  She was third on the team with 26.0 points during the Fresno State Invitational (Sept. 17-18) with 16 kills and a team-high five service aces.
 
She was rated as the No. 5 recruit in the nation by Prep Volleyball and played for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team while being an alternate for the 2008 squad.  She was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection.  At the 2009 FIVB Junior World Championship in Mexico, she finished fourth in blocks among all players and 20th in scoring.  She was an integral part of three state championship squads (2006, 2007 and 2009) and was named 2009 Gatorade State Player of the Year as well as 2009 Inland Northwest Junior Female Athlete of the Year.
 
The Pattern Is Full
Sophomore outside hitter Katie Fuller (Olivenhain, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS) has 188 kills (1.98 kps) this season with 119 digs (1.25 dps) and 44 blocks (0.43 bps).
 
She posted seven kills with no errors in a .467 performance against No. 20 Arizona on Nov. 12, adding four blocks in the 3-0 sweep.  She tied for the team high with nine kills in a 3-0 loss to No. 3 Stanford on Nov. 7 and hit .350 (9-2-20) with eight digs.  She hit .368 (8-1-19) against Washington State in a three-set sweep on Oct. 29.
 
On Oct. 22 against No. 16 Oregon, she posted 10 kills and hit .529 (10-1-17) in the match.  She had a team-high 11 kills in a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 10 against Virginia, including 10 in the first set alone.  She hit .500 on the evening (11-2-18) with an ace and five digs.  On Sept. 5 in a five-set win at No. 4 Hawai'i, she posted career highs with 17 kills, six digs, six blocks and 20.5 points while hitting .382.  She had eight kills and hit .312 in a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 4 against Michigan State.
 
She filled in admirably during the Portland and Fresno State matches (Sept. 18-19) as a freshman last season.  She led the team with 10 kills against Portland with two digs and one block while hitting .471 (10-2-17) in the 3-0 sweep.  The following night against Fresno State, she had five kills with seven digs and two service aces.
 
That's G
Senior defensive specialist/outside hitter Geena Urango (Los Alamitos/Los Alamitos HS) has eight kills (0.09 kps) and 20 service aces (0.22 saps) this season.  She has a 3.74 grade-point-average in communications, earning 2010 Pac-10 Conference All-Academic first team honors.  She became the first Trojan to earn first team honors since Emily Adams in 2003.
 
She had a season-high 11 digs on Sept. 24 in a four-set win against No. 11 UCLA.
 
Urango made seven starts in 30 matches last season, recording 69 kills (0.74 kps), seven assists (0.08 aps), 20 service aces (0.22 saps), 107 digs (1.15 dps) and 93.5 points (1.01 pps).  She earned 2009 Pac-10 Conference All-Academic second team honors, posting a 3.69 grade-point-average in communications.  Her best match came on Sept. 11 vs. Idaho State, leading the Trojans with a season-high 17 kills while hitting .469 on Sept. 11 against Idaho State at the Wolverine Invitational in Orem, Utah.
 
She played in every match during her 2008 sophomore season, recording 36 kills (0.35 kps), 11 assists (0.11 aps), 13 aces (0.12 saps), 158 digs (1.52 dps), five blocks (0.05 bps) and 52.0 points (0.50 pps).  She had a season-high nine kills and added two aces and two digs against Hartford on Sept. 18 and posted eight kills and a season-high 14 digs on Oct. 3 at Oregon State. 
 
Urango recorded 112 kills (0.90 kps) and 347 digs (2.80 dpg) in her freshman season, earning All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honorable mention honors.  She finished in a tie for sixth place in the Pac-10 Conference with 40 service aces (0.32 saps) and recorded four aces in a match twice (Sept. 1 vs. Mercer and Sept. 15 vs. Purdue).
 
She recorded 21 digs on Sept. 7 at Utah in a four-game victory and posted a season-high 31 digs in a five-game win on Sept. 14 at No. 20 Ohio State.  On Oct. 11 against Oregon State, she tallied a season-high 10 kills, hitting .304 in the match and adding nine digs.  She recorded a season-high 21 kills, taking 47 swings against No. 9 Cal in a 3-2 win on Oct. 26 at the Galen Center.  Urango posted her first collegiate double-double on Nov. 2 against No. 9 UCLA with 17 kills and 12 digs in the 3-1 victory.
 
She was on the 2008 U.S. Beach Volleyball Training Team for the SWATCH FIVB World Championship.  She also played two years for the U.S. Youth National Team (2005-06) and also played on the Junior National Team.
 
It's Greek To Me
Senior middle blocker Zoe Garrett (Laguna Beach/Laguna Beach HS), whose first name is derived from a Greek word meaning "life", has 54 kills (1.64 kps) this season white hitting .345 with 20 blocks (0.61 bps).
 
Garrett made 16 starts in 24 matches as a junior last season for the Women of Troy.  She recorded 81 kills for a 1.27 kps average and a .288 hitting percentage with 16 assists (0.25 aps), six service aces (0.09 saps), 27 digs (0.42 dps), 45 blocks (0.70 bps) and 112.0 points (1.75 pps).  She received 2009 Pac-10 Conference All-Academic honorable mention recognition
 
She earned all-tournament team honors at the 2009 Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 11-12) at Utah Valley after getting 20 kills and seven blocks while hitting .474.  She had nine kills while hitting .500 at Utah Valley (9-1-16) on Sept. 11 with four block assists and had nine kills with four blocks while hitting .571 (9-1-14) on Aug. 29 against North Carolina.
 
As a sophomore in 2008, Garrett started in all but one match during the season, recording 171 kills (1.71 kps) for a .305 hitting percentage with 19 service aces (0.19 saps), 61 digs (0.61 dps), 90 blocks (0.90 bps) and 241.5 points (2.41 pps).  She tied her previous best of nine blocks on Sept. 18 against Hartford with one solo block and eight block assists in the 3-0 victory at the West Point Challenge, also tied a season high with three service aces.  In the Pac-10 opener against No. 4 UCLA, she had nine kills and hit .400 (9-1-20) in the five-set win with six digs and five blocks.  In a 3-0 sweep of Washington State on Oct. 10, she tied her career high with 13 kills, hitting .476 (13-3-21) in the process.  She tied her season and career highs with 13 kills and nine blocks on Dec. 5 in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament against No. 15 San Diego and hit a season-high .478 (13-2-23) against the Toreros in the four-set win.
 
Garrett received All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honorable mention honors in 2007 after recording 210 kills (1.81 kps) and 118 blocks (1.02 bps) while hitting .262.  A 10-kill performance came on Oct. 18 at Washington State where she also registered a season-high nine blocks (one solo, eight assisted).
 
The Shawshank Redemption
Freshman outside hitter Sara Shaw (Austin, Texas/Westlake HS) has 35 kills (0.47 kps) this season with 103 digs (1.39 dps) and 10 blocks (0.14 dps).
 
She had a season-high 10 digs in a 3-0 sweep on Oct. 23 against Oregon State.
 
She was rated No. 11 nationally by Prep Volleyball and played for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team.  She also was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection.  Shaw earned 2009-10 Under Armour All-America first team honors after leading Westlake to its third straight Class 5A state final and was named 2009 Gatorade State Player of the Year.
 
Burn Notice
Freshman outside hitter/opposite Kirby Burnham (Newport Beach/Newport Harbor HS) was rated as the No. 49 incoming recruit in the nation by Prep Volleyball and was a 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, along with earning All-America honors by Prep Volleyball.
 
This season, she has 38 kills (1.06 kps) while hitting .213 with 38 digs (1.06 dps).
 
She was the team captain for the Newport Harbor squad that won the 2009 CIF-SS Division 1-AA championship as Burnham earned 2009 All-CIF Southern Section first team honors.  She was named most valuable player in the CIF Division I state championship match after posting 12 kills in the 3-0 sweep of Salinas.  Burnham was a member of the National Charity League where she completed 50-100 hours of community service a year and created her own neighborhood food drive in her community while she was in high school.
 
From Serbia With Love
Sophomore middle blocker Nataša Šiljkovic (Uzice, Serbia/School of Economy) saw her first action in late October and is working her way into the rotation.
 
She had a season-high four kills in a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 12 against No. 20 Arizona.
 
While going to the School of Economy, she also played in the Serbian National Team program on the youth, junior and senior squads.  She was a member of the 2008 and 2009 squads that finished fourth at the European Championships and a member of the 2007 squad that finished second at the European Championships.  She was the fourth-ranked blocker at the 2007 World Championships in Mexico.
 
All-Time Great Night
Since the Galen Center's opening, the USC women's volleyball program has honored its former players with a banner ceremony with the individual having their number and name listed in the rafters for a full year.
 
On October 30 against Washington State, the Women of Troy honored Terry Place (1976-77), who was a two-time All-American and two-time Olympian (1980 and 1984).  During the September 24 match against UCLA, Dana Smith (1980-83) was honored.  She was a three-time first team All-American.  She was a member of two national championship squads (1980 and 1981).  Her best season came in 1982 when she had 385 kills with 24 aces and 30 digs.  Smith is one of only four USC women's volleyball players to earn an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship (1984).
 
Injury Report
Senior outside hitter Kimmee Roleder injured her right knee during spring practice and will be out for the entire 2010 season.