Outside Hitters The Trojans feature two of the
most fearsome outside hitters in the Pac-10. Sophomore Keao Burdine
and junior April Ross provide nearly half of USC’s total
offense. The two combine for 7.4 kills and 5.6 digs per game. Their
nearly 18 digs per game rank as the nation’s No. 3 offense.
The Trojans have a definite advantage over UCLA’s tandem of
Lauren Fendrick and Brittany Ringel.
Middle Blockers Junior Katie Olsovsky is paired
with sophomore Emily Adams at middle blocker. The Trojans average
2.76 blocks per game, just ahead of UCLA’s 2.45. Both are
intimidating figures at net and help contribute to the
Trojan’s defensive prowess.
Setters USC and UCLA are the only two schools
in the Pac-10 that run a 6-2 offense, meaning that they utilize two
setters. Senior Tracy Lindquist and junior Toni Anderson combine to
form the nation’s No. 1 setting duo, averaging 16.86 per
game. The Bruins are right behind them, with 15.10 per game.
Tactically, the Trojans feel they have an advantage at this
position. “We have a junior and a senior setter, and in past
years we had younger setters that were always kind of
worrisome,” USC head coach Mick Haley said.
Libero Junior Nicole Davis compliments the
blocking core of Olsovsky and Adams. While not as talented as
UCLA’s Chrissie Zartman, Davis is an effective player. She
ranks fifth in the Pac-10 in digs per game. In addition, she has a
black belt in karate. That’s impressive no matter how you
slice it.
Prediction The UCLA Bruins will play hard, but
ultimately the superior talent, experience, and home court
advantage will be too much for the Bruins. I’ll even go out
on a limb here and predict game scores. I expect a Trojan victory
3-1. Still, the Trojans know not to take this game for granted.
“We have a lot of respect for coach Banachowski. He always
does a good job of preparing, we’d be very remiss if we didn’t
prepare properly.”