Women's Volleyball
    No. 5 USC Hosts Luxe City Center Trojan Invitational
    The Women of Troy welcome No. 23 Northern Iowa, Mississippi State, and Boston College
    Junior middle blocker Alexis Olgard
    Junior middle blocker Alexis Olgard

    Aug. 30, 2012

    USC Notes (PDF) Get Acrobat Reader
    Boston College Notes
    Northern Iowa Notes (PDF) Get Acrobat Reader
    Mississippi State Notes (PDF) Get Acrobat Reader

    THIS WEEK:

    LUXE CITY CENTER TROJAN INVITATIONAL
    Galen Center | Los Angeles, Calif.
    Web Radio: USCTrojans.com All-Access

    FRIDAY, AUGUST 31
    Match #1: No. 23 Northern Iowa vs. Boston College - 11 a.m.

    Match #2: Boston College vs. Mississippi State - 6 p.m.

    Match #3: No. 5 USC vs. No. 23 Northern Iowa - 8 p.m.

     

    SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
    Match #4: No. 5 USC vs. Boston College - 10 a.m.

    Match #5: Mississippi State vs. No. 23 Northern Iowa - Noon

    Match #6: No. 5 USC vs. Mississippi State - 8 p.m.

    LOS ANGELES - The fifth-ranked Women of Troy carry a 3-0 record into this weekend's Luxe City Center Trojan Invitational at the Galen Center. USC welcomes No. 23 Northern Iowa (2-1), Boston College (3-1), and Mississippi State (2-1) to sunny Southern California for a round-robin tourney that features six matches in two days.

    By tournament's end, the Trojans will have played their seventh match in nine days. After it won the Texas A&M Invitational, USC hosted Jiangsu China in a historic exhibition match on Tuesday (Aug. 28). The match was the first-ever live women's volleyball event to be broadcast on the new Pac-12 Networks.

    USC will get to test itself against its first ranked opponent of the year when the 23rd-ranked Panthers take the other side of the court on Friday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m. PT. The Trojans have never faced Boston College or Mississippi State, but hold a 1-0 all-time mark against Northern Iowa. USC claimed a 3-0 sweep over an eighth-ranked Panther squad on Aug. 30, 2003, at home.

    The Trojans feature a roster chock full of youth, but junior All-American libero Natalie Hagglund has been a constant source of leadership for the young squad. Senior opposite hitter Katie Fuller has also been a major factor in USC's early success. Troy's biggest early surprise is freshman outside hitter Samantha Bricio who was honored as the Pac-12's Freshman of the Week, this week, for her performance at the Texas A&M Invitational in which she was named the tournament MVP.