USC wins to reach NCAA semifinals

Fifth-seeded USC defeated fourth-seeded Texas, 30-25, 30-22, 30-26, at Gainesville, Fla., in the fourth round of the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball tournament Saturday to earn a berth in next week’s Final Four at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

USC (29-4) out-hit the Longhorns, .373 to .273, including a 20-kill, .514 hitting performance in the decisive third game.

All-American Asia Kaczor had a team-high 17 kills for the Trojans, and Diane Copenhagen had 13 kills and 12 digs.

Kaczor was named most valuable player for the regional with 42 kills in two matches. Against the Longhorns, she hit .310.

Juliann Faucette led the Longhorns (27-4) with 16 kills and a .406 hitting percentage.

USC will play top-seeded Stanford (31-2) in the national semifinals on Thursday.

The Cardinal advanced with a 28-30, 30-28, 30-26, 30-27 victory over eighth-seeded UCLA (23-11) at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford reached the fourth round by beating 16th-seeded Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 30-15, 30-24, 30-20, late Friday night. The Mustangs finished at 23-8.

Erin Waller, whose 12th kill of the match gave the Cardinal the 30-20 win in the third game, hit a career-high .733.

Alix Klineman, a freshman from Mira Costa High, had nine kills and a team-high 15 digs for the Cardinal.