Women's volleyball

Women of Troy commit Cardinal sin

By Mike Cisneros
Assistant Sports Editor

"(Before the game), we really thought that we were going to win (against Stanford)," junior middle blocker Jasmina Marinkovic said. "We really thought that we were good enough to win and to play them."
This statement reflected the attitude of all the players and coaches of the USC women's volleyball team before Friday's showdown at home with Stanford.
This was the year that the No. 7 Women of Troy were finally going to beat their nemesis, the No. 4 Cardinal.
This was the year that the Women of Troy were going to end Stanford's 11-match winning streak.
This was the year that USC was finally going to tear out the thorn in its side and show the Cardinal that it wasn't just another typical year--that this team was for real.
However, all those thoughts and feelings were quickly dispelled after Stanford (14-2 overall, 5-0 Pacific 10 Conference) handed USC (11-2, 4-2) its 12th-straight win over the Women of Troy with a commanding three-game sweep, 15-13, 15-0, 15-13.
The most embarrassing aspect for the team was the second game, in which USC was uncharacteristically sloppy and could not score a single point against the Cardinal, losing 15-0.
The second game was USC's worst of the season, and only the third time in school history that the Women of Troy failed to score a point.
The last time USC was held without a point was 11 years ago, when it lost to Oregon, 15-0, in 1986. However, the 1986 team also finished 2-32 overall and 0-18 in the Pac-10.
USC was held to a season-worst minus-.231 hitting percentage in the second game, and had its worst hitting performance of the season, hitting .071 as a team in three games.
Marinkovic, who had led the nation in hitting with a .509 hitting percentage, hit only .154 against the Cardinal.
Conversely, Stanford outside hitter Kristin Folkl led the Cardinal with a match-high 14 kills, and outside hitter Barbara Ifejika added another 11 kills for a .588 hitting percentage.
It was a tremendous letdown for the team, considering its strong performance in the first game, which had all the elements of a tight match between two top-10 teams.
The match started strong, with the teams deadlocked all the way. Stanford prevailed, 15-13, but it appeared as if the upcoming games would be long ones.
"In the first game, we were amazing," Marinkovic said. "Our defense was outstanding. We were blocking all over the place, we were digging everything. But then, I don't know what happened in game two. We didn't pass well, we didn't dig well, we didn't do anything well."
The second game was one riddled with errors by USC, as all 10 of the team's errors went for a Stanford point.
With all the hitting errors, USC could only muster five sideouts during the entire second game.
"I think hitting errors and serving errors cost us a lot in game one and two," USC Coach Lisa Love said. "Although in game two, we really stopped playing altogether the way we can play."
The second game started the same as the first, with Stanford quickly taking the first two points.
Instead of the Women of Troy responding as they had in the first game, the team faltered, and Stanford benefited.
After numerous USC hitting errors, the Cardinal found themselves ahead, 9-0, and the Women of Troy took a timeout. But the errors did not stop for USC, including three by setter Janice Mounts, outside hitter Antoinette Polk, and outside hitter Jeanne Vetter. Stanford closed out the game with a 6-0 run.
"We were out of defensive position," junior setter Janice Mounts said. "We were moving trying to recover and that's not how you play. You have to be stopped, so we got burned."