Saturday, September 2
D.J. Sokol Arena
12:30 PM
Creighton University
4-1
0
vs
3
USC
4-1
1
2
3
F
USC
26
25
25
3
Creighton
24
16
18
0
Marysa Wilkinson
Photo by: Corey Solotorovsky
#7 Volleyball Drops First Match Of Fall to #18 USC
9/2/2017 4:05:00 PM | Volleyball
Creighton drops to 4-1 but still have a chance to win the Bluejay Invitiational title
OMAHA, Neb. -- The No. 7 Creighton Volleyball team had its 13-match home win streak snapped on Saturday afternoon, as No. 18 USC swept the hosts at the Bluejay Invitational, presented by First National Bank.
Scores of the match in favor of the Women of Troy were 26-24, 25-16, 25-18. Both teams are now 4-1 with two victories over ranked teams in the young season.
Khalia Lanier had 23 kills while hitting .476 to pace USC. Megan Ballenger topped CU with 11 kills on .500 hitting.
The first set proved to be pivotal, as the teams exchanged seven leads and were tied 16 times. Ultimately, with the teams deadlocked at 23, the Trojans moved ahead on Lanier's 11th kill of the opening frame, then won it on an ace by Madison Murtagh that dropped between a pair of Bluejay defenders. Ballenger and Marysa Wilkinson each had five kills for CU, as Lydia Dimke dished 14 assists.
Creighton fell behind 4-0 to start the second set and took its only lead at 6-5, before USC answered with the next two points. The Women of Troy did not trail again. The lead grew to 18-13 on an 4-0 run authored on Lanier's serve, and ultimately won 25-16. The Trojans hit .607 in the second frame with 18 kills and just one error on 28 swings. Wilkinson had four kills for CU in the set, but the Jays were held without an ace or block while hitting only .200 in defeat.
The Trojans completed the sweep with a 25-18 victory in the closeout set. USC consistently earned sideouts to prevent the Bluejays from stringing together points. CU was within 18-14 late before USC scored the next four points to take a stranglehold on the match. USC hit .324 in the final set, with Reni Meyer-Whalley dishing 11 assists.
USC owned 54 kills, five aces, 54 digs and 2.0 blocks on .353 hitting for the afternoon. Creighton finished with 34 kills, one ace, 42 digs and 7.0 blocks on .204 hitting overall.
The Bluejay Invitational wraps up on Saturday night with two matches. USC meets Kentucky at 6 pm, followed by Creighton vs. UNI at 8 pm. All four teams are 1-1 in the event after UK topped UNI in five sets on Saturday morning. An All-Tournament Team and tournament champion will be awarded following the competition. Creighton can win the title with a victory over UNI and a Kentucky triumph over USC.
NOTES: Creighton's 13-match home win streak was snapped. It was tied for the fifth-longest active home win streak, and tied for the longest in school history. Creighton had not been swept at home since Sept. 15, 2015 ... Creighton was playing its third straight match against a ranked team, and was seeking to tie a school-record by opening 5-0 ... Jaali Winters was held to four kills in 27 swings, snapping a streak of 13 straight matches in double-figures ... Creighton had been 36-0 all-time when Marysa Wilkinson hit .400 or better before today, when she hit .444 ... Creighton had been 16-0 all-time when Megan Ballenger hit .300 or better before today, when she hit .500 ... Creighton had won 31 straight matches when outblocking its opponents before today ... Saturday night's match will air on KOIL (1180 AM).
Scores of the match in favor of the Women of Troy were 26-24, 25-16, 25-18. Both teams are now 4-1 with two victories over ranked teams in the young season.
Khalia Lanier had 23 kills while hitting .476 to pace USC. Megan Ballenger topped CU with 11 kills on .500 hitting.
The first set proved to be pivotal, as the teams exchanged seven leads and were tied 16 times. Ultimately, with the teams deadlocked at 23, the Trojans moved ahead on Lanier's 11th kill of the opening frame, then won it on an ace by Madison Murtagh that dropped between a pair of Bluejay defenders. Ballenger and Marysa Wilkinson each had five kills for CU, as Lydia Dimke dished 14 assists.
Creighton fell behind 4-0 to start the second set and took its only lead at 6-5, before USC answered with the next two points. The Women of Troy did not trail again. The lead grew to 18-13 on an 4-0 run authored on Lanier's serve, and ultimately won 25-16. The Trojans hit .607 in the second frame with 18 kills and just one error on 28 swings. Wilkinson had four kills for CU in the set, but the Jays were held without an ace or block while hitting only .200 in defeat.
The Trojans completed the sweep with a 25-18 victory in the closeout set. USC consistently earned sideouts to prevent the Bluejays from stringing together points. CU was within 18-14 late before USC scored the next four points to take a stranglehold on the match. USC hit .324 in the final set, with Reni Meyer-Whalley dishing 11 assists.
USC owned 54 kills, five aces, 54 digs and 2.0 blocks on .353 hitting for the afternoon. Creighton finished with 34 kills, one ace, 42 digs and 7.0 blocks on .204 hitting overall.
The Bluejay Invitational wraps up on Saturday night with two matches. USC meets Kentucky at 6 pm, followed by Creighton vs. UNI at 8 pm. All four teams are 1-1 in the event after UK topped UNI in five sets on Saturday morning. An All-Tournament Team and tournament champion will be awarded following the competition. Creighton can win the title with a victory over UNI and a Kentucky triumph over USC.
NOTES: Creighton's 13-match home win streak was snapped. It was tied for the fifth-longest active home win streak, and tied for the longest in school history. Creighton had not been swept at home since Sept. 15, 2015 ... Creighton was playing its third straight match against a ranked team, and was seeking to tie a school-record by opening 5-0 ... Jaali Winters was held to four kills in 27 swings, snapping a streak of 13 straight matches in double-figures ... Creighton had been 36-0 all-time when Marysa Wilkinson hit .400 or better before today, when she hit .444 ... Creighton had been 16-0 all-time when Megan Ballenger hit .300 or better before today, when she hit .500 ... Creighton had won 31 straight matches when outblocking its opponents before today ... Saturday night's match will air on KOIL (1180 AM).
Team Stats
USC
CU
Kills
54
34
Errors
13
12
Attempts
116
108
Hitting %
.353
.204
Points
61.0
42.0
Assists
54
34
Aces
5
1
Blocks
2.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB/RS
/ VolleyballS
/ VolleyballMB/RS
/ VolleyballOH
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