Minnesota Halts USC’s Repeat Bid

All things must pass, and for the USC women’s volleyball team, a dynastic run had to come to an end at some point.

The Trojans were trying to become the first Division I program to win three consecutive NCAA titles. But they ran into a Minnesota team intent on making some history of its own.

Perhaps inspired by two losses to the Trojans within the last calendar year, Minnesota ended USC’s title run with a 30-25, 29-31, 30-26, 30-20 victory in a semifinal before 8,339 Thursday night at the Long Beach Arena.

The Trojans accepted their role as the team to beat all season, even creating T-shirts with a bull’s-eye on the back. Ultimately, they couldn’t fend off all challengers.

“It was a fun ride,” USC Coach Mick Haley said. “We had a good time. Sorry we couldn’t finish it the way we wanted to.”

Unlike last year’s 35-0 season, USC (23-6) wasn’t invincible. And it was facing a Gopher team with a long memory.

USC rolled through Minnesota in three games of a semifinal last season in Dallas, on the way to becoming the fourth team in the 23 years the NCAA has sanctioned the sport to complete an undefeated season.

The Trojans got an inkling that other meetings with Minnesota would be more difficult. In a season-opening tournament in Fort Collins, Colo., the Gophers showed they had closed the gap by pushing the Trojans to five games before falling.

This time, they passed the Trojans. Erin Martin had 18 kills, and Trisha Bratford and Meredith Nelson each had 13 to lead Minnesota (33-4), which will try to win its first title when it plays Stanford in the championship match Saturday.

“We beat a great team,” Minnesota Coach Mike Hebert said. “I’m awfully happy for our program. It’s the first time we’ve come this far, and I’m anxious to play Stanford on Saturday.”

Stanford (29-6) advanced with a 30-25, 23-30, 30-27, 30-24 victory over Pacific 10 Conference rival Washington (28-3) in the other semifinal.

The Trojans had a tough time from the opening serve. All-American outside hitter Keao Burdine, who was the most valuable player of the last two Final Fours, led them with 18 kills but also committed a match-high 16 hitting errors.

USC hit for a .132 percentage with 38 errors. Minnesota also dominated up front, getting 17 blocks to five for the Trojans.

“We couldn’t run our plays,” Haley said. “I think they did a good job of blocking. We just ran out of gas.”

Bratford got hot in the first game to give Minnesota the early advantage. She had three kills in the game’s final five points and six overall, including one that finished off a long rally. Bowman closed the game with a service ace.

In game two, Staci Venski gave USC a 28-27 lead with a cross-court kill. Burdine then delivered a well-placed kill on the left sideline that tied the match at one game apiece.

Trailing throughout game three, the Gophers regained control by winning 10 of the final 13 points to grab the match advantage. It was all Minnesota from that point on.