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University of Utah
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USC
Utah Volleyball Falls to No. 5 USC
10/2/2011 12:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 2, 2011
SALT LAKE CITY - Sophomore middle blocker Erin Redd had seven kills and freshman outside hitter Chelsey Schofield registered 10 digs but the University of Utah volleyball team fell in three sets to No. 5 USC (13-25, 14-25, 19-25) in a Pac-12 Conference match Sunday at Crimson Court.
"We just have to keep trying to improve," Utah head coach Beth Launiere said. "We have to play with more consistency and with more composure. I have challenged our team to step up. We have to be much more consistent to compete at a higher level and that's going to be our goal."
Utah (6-10, 1-5 Pac-12) posted a .100 hitting percentage on the attack, compared to a .400 mark for fifth-ranked USC.
"It was absolutely a matter of us not getting the kills," Launiere said. "But we also made too many unforced errors as well." Redd posted a team-high seven kills, while three other Utes - Morgan Odale, Danielle Killpack and Chelsey Schofield - turned in five kills apiece.
Defensively, Schofield turned in a team-high 10 digs for her sixth double-figure-dig match of the season. She has had 10 or more digs in three of Utah's last four matches. The Provo, Utah native also turned in a team-high three blocks. Odale added seven digs of her own.
Junior setters McKenzie Odale and Abby Simmons combined for 24 assists in the match, as Odale distributed 13 and Simmons handed out 11 helpers.
USC took the first four points of the opening set and led by 11 (19-8) via a 7-0 stretch. The Utes countered with a 3-1 run but could get no closer than nine (20-11) before the Women of Troy earned a 25-13 first-set win. Utah held a 3.5 to 3.0 advantage in team blocks, but was limited to a -.111 hitting percentage by USC in the opener.
There were two ties early in the second set before a 3-0 USC run gave it a 5-2 advantage. USC was able to extend its advantage it to eight (19-11) and took a 25-14 win in the second set. Redd had four kills on 10 attempts in the set, while Schofield added three. The Utes were outhit .429 to .122 in the frame.
The Utes took their first lead of the match early in the third set and the frame would be tied six times (8-8) before USC was able to jump out to an 11-8 lead. The Women of Troy pushed their lead to six points (21-15) and would eventually clinch the match with a third-set victory by an identical margin, 25-19. Killpack came up with four kills on five swings in the frame as the Ute attack registered a .250 efficiency. Unfortunately, USC was able to hit for a .469 mark in the finale.
No. 5 USC (11-3, 6-1 Pac-12) was led by 15 kills and nine digs from Alex Jupiter. Katie Fuller registered a double-double with 13 digs and 12 kills. Lauren Williams was the third USC player with double-digit-kills as she added 10. Setter Kendall Bateman turned in 37 assists.
"With a young team, you work on something during the week and you get better at that," Launiere said. "Unfortunately, the other things don't always hold and that's where we're getting in trouble. We're not playing complete games. Our offense gets better but then our defense breaks down. We have to be able to put it all together if we expect to win in this league."
The Utes head to the Evergreen State next weekend to face Washington State and No. 3 Washington. Utah's road trip begins Friday at Washington State. First serve from Pullman is set for 7 p.m. PT.
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