Post by bigfan on Sept 19, 2005 10:17:53 GMT -5
Women of Troy bring Waves back to school
Led by both Candelas and Seilhamer, No. 12 USC sweeps Pepperdine, 3-0.
By Alex Delanian
One of Colegio Ponceño's school philosophies is to give their students the basic skills to prepare them for college work based on their individual interests.
For two of the school's graduates, that general philosophy became volleyball reality.
Middle blocker Bibiana Candelas and libero Debora Seilhamer led No. 12 USC to a three-game victory over the Pepperdine Waves (3-4) Friday night, 30-24, 30-25, 30-26.
Candelas' career-high 23 kills and Seilhamer's 20 digs stabilized a USC team looking for positive results after two difficult road trips to Hawaii and San Antonio, which left them in the unfamiliar position of being under .500 and knocked out of the top 10.
Hitting from every position on the court, Candelas carried the team on her back when it looked like they were losing their grip on the game.
"I think that at the beginning of the season we were kind of integrating everything and playing different positions," Candelas said. "It's kind of hard at the beginning to get everything right, but at the same time it's fun because we have a lot of options right now."
Those options were available throughout the game because of the team's improved passing. Outside hitter Diane Copenhagen and middle blocker Katelyn Bishop have been pleasant surprises for the Women of Troy (4-4), but the much-improved Seilhamer is the key component of the team's defense.
"I think I've taken a lot of responsibility in the defense. I'm a junior and the other ones playing defense right now are two sophomores," Seilhamer said. "I just try to help them out as much as I can."
"My passing and my maturity have gotten a lot better. At the same time, the coaches help me out because I still have to improve in other areas of the game."
That improvement was made very obvious to Pepperdine outside hitter Julie Rubenstein, who came into the game averaging 4.55 kills per game but managed only eight kills on 30 attempts and nine hitting errors.
Middle blocker Sophia Milo carried the load for the Waves (3-4) with 13 kills on 29 attempts, frustrating the USC block with an effective slide move that opened up big holes on the net.
After hitting a low point following their two road trips, USC hopes it's all uphill from here.
"We've been working real hard and playing great competition," USC coach Mick Haley said. "We haven't beaten anybody that's been ranked ahead of us and that's unfortunate, but I think we have that potential now."
Led by both Candelas and Seilhamer, No. 12 USC sweeps Pepperdine, 3-0.
By Alex Delanian
One of Colegio Ponceño's school philosophies is to give their students the basic skills to prepare them for college work based on their individual interests.
For two of the school's graduates, that general philosophy became volleyball reality.
Middle blocker Bibiana Candelas and libero Debora Seilhamer led No. 12 USC to a three-game victory over the Pepperdine Waves (3-4) Friday night, 30-24, 30-25, 30-26.
Candelas' career-high 23 kills and Seilhamer's 20 digs stabilized a USC team looking for positive results after two difficult road trips to Hawaii and San Antonio, which left them in the unfamiliar position of being under .500 and knocked out of the top 10.
Hitting from every position on the court, Candelas carried the team on her back when it looked like they were losing their grip on the game.
"I think that at the beginning of the season we were kind of integrating everything and playing different positions," Candelas said. "It's kind of hard at the beginning to get everything right, but at the same time it's fun because we have a lot of options right now."
Those options were available throughout the game because of the team's improved passing. Outside hitter Diane Copenhagen and middle blocker Katelyn Bishop have been pleasant surprises for the Women of Troy (4-4), but the much-improved Seilhamer is the key component of the team's defense.
"I think I've taken a lot of responsibility in the defense. I'm a junior and the other ones playing defense right now are two sophomores," Seilhamer said. "I just try to help them out as much as I can."
"My passing and my maturity have gotten a lot better. At the same time, the coaches help me out because I still have to improve in other areas of the game."
That improvement was made very obvious to Pepperdine outside hitter Julie Rubenstein, who came into the game averaging 4.55 kills per game but managed only eight kills on 30 attempts and nine hitting errors.
Middle blocker Sophia Milo carried the load for the Waves (3-4) with 13 kills on 29 attempts, frustrating the USC block with an effective slide move that opened up big holes on the net.
After hitting a low point following their two road trips, USC hopes it's all uphill from here.
"We've been working real hard and playing great competition," USC coach Mick Haley said. "We haven't beaten anybody that's been ranked ahead of us and that's unfortunate, but I think we have that potential now."
