Skylar Fields poised for run to develop into NCAA kills chief as USC opens NCAA play

Think about these numbers: 

USC has 1,613 kills this season. 

Skylar Fields has 586 of them. 

Her subsequent closest teammate, Tyrah Ariail, has 210. 

Fields led the Pac-12 in kills with 66 greater than Arizona State’s Marta Levinka.

For that matter, solely Giula Cardona of Evansville (593) and Kayley Cassaday of Tulsa (592) have extra kills. Evansville is completed for the season, whereas Tulsa is within the NIVC and performs Kansas Metropolis on Thursday. Will probably be fairly a race between Cassaday and Fields to develop into the 2023 NCAA kills chief.

USC (18-12), which completed alone in fifth within the Pac-12, opens NCAA Match play Friday in opposition to America East-champion UMBC in Pittsburgh. The winner almost certainly performs top-seeded Pitt, the ACC champion that performs MEAC-champion Coppin State, on Saturday.

The main focus, then, for UMBC and, presumably Pitt, might be Fields. And never solely is she used to that, the 6-foot-2 fifth-year senior outdoors hitter from Missouri Metropolis, Texas, is just not afraid of the highlight.

That was one purpose why, after three seasons, she transferred from Texas to USC.

Fields was a Texas child by way of and thru. She was a prep All-American at Ridge Level Excessive Faculty southwest of Houston. She performed for Houston Juniors on a group that included Pepperdine’s Isabel Zelaya, the West Coast Convention setter of the yr; outdoors hitter Sanaa Dotson, who performed at Oklahoma and LSU; LSU center Anita Anwusi; libero Sabrina Sustala, who performed at Texas A&M and TCU; outdoors Kennedy Prince, who performed at Miami (FL); and McNeese libero Bailey Tillman.

“We had a reasonably good group,” Fields mentioned with amusing.

Fields performed proper aspect as a freshman at Texas, after which for a part of the subsequent season, earlier than transferring to outdoors.

Fields acknowledged that as a freshman, she wasn’t going to get time at outdoors, not with Texas boasting Micaya White as a fifth-year senior and future nationwide participant of the yr Logan Eggleston as a sophomore.

“I used to be prepared to play something, on the left or the precise,” Fields mentioned. “I don’t thoughts taking part in on both pin, so it was actually cool that I used to be capable of get that have. I actually did like that.”

She did, nevertheless, admit to liking the left aspect a bit higher.

“I like taking part in protection from there extra and I really feel prefer it provides you extra vary to run totally different routes out of the again courtroom. And taking part in on the left I really feel like I’ve extra vary as a hitter.”

Fields, who this season leads the Pac-12 in kills per set (5.19) and averages 2.07 digs/set, has frequently improved all through her profession.

As a freshman in 2019 at Texas, she made the VBM All-Freshman group after getting 246 kills. The following yr, she was a VBM honorable point out with 327 kills. In 2021, she had 353 kills and hit .331 and made our fourth All-American group and was AVCA third-teamer.

So it was a fairly large shock when she moved to Los Angeles.

“The true purpose why I left is as a result of I used to be attempting to develop into a full-time volleyball participant,” Fields mentioned. “A six-rotation participant. I wasn’t getting that chance there. I wish to set myself as much as be an Olympian, and it’s a must to be a six-rotation participant to step into that health club. 

“I used to be actually specializing in serving to myself to attempt to take that subsequent step and USC gave the impression to be a spot that was actually invested into who I’m and what I wish to be.”

She smiled.

“And for positive L.A. has loads of issues that loads of place can’t provide, the leisure aspect of issues, the style, and I’m actually serious about that,” she mentioned with amusing. “However that wasn’t my important purpose for transferring to L.A..”

It labored out fairly good final yr. As her old-fashioned received the NCAA title, Fields was a VBM first-team All-American and so have been former Texas teammates Eggleston and Asjia O’Neal, and in addition Zoe Fleck, who transferred in as Fields left.

USC completed 22-11 in 2022, beating Excessive Level earlier than shedding to Ohio State within the NCAA Match. Fields had 598 kills (5.11/set), hit .319 and had 19 aces and 56 blocks, 10 solo, and averaged 1.91 digs. 

“Skylar is an unbelievable younger girl that embodies what it means to be a Trojan,” USC coach Brad Keller mentioned. “Her drive, work ethic and charisma is unmatched. 

“She has a vivid future in our sport and I’m grateful to have been part of it.”

In every of the previous couple of years Fields has needed to sit out some matches.

“For the reason that COVID yr I’ve had an ongoing lower-leg harm, so staying robust and staying wholesome have been my important priorities,” Fields mentioned. 

However she’s even higher this yr, with these aforementioned 586 kills (5.19/set) whereas hitting .295 to go along with 12 aces, 2.07 digs/set and 61 blocks, 9 solo.

A brand new robust level? Taking advantage of robust units.

“Out of system has develop into one in all my strengths,” she mentioned.

That’s not all. Fields additionally runs what USC calls the D.

“I like the D ball,” Fields mentioned. “At first I used to be taking part in OH1 and now I’m again at OH2 and I’m capable of run behind the setter whereas she’s setting entrance row and it’s been tremendous good. Now we have actually good middles who could make them maintain the block and their left aspect has to respect our middles, in order that opens up a lane for me to go up and assault on the D. It’s actually enjoyable after I get to go fly and simply put the ball away.”

She places it away like few others within the school recreation. Solely 9 instances this season has she had not had 20 kills. And within the final 15 matches she’s performed for USC, all within the Pac-12, she has had fewer than 21 kills simply as soon as. 

That features a season-high 29 in a five-set loss at Washington State three weeks in the past. Afer that, she missed back-to-back, four-set dwelling losses to No. 2 Stanford and No. 6 Oregon, however then had 21 kills in a five-set loss to UCLA to finish the common season.

After beating Cal on November 17, USC was 18-9, 12-5 within the convention, and had been on a roll, successful 4 of 5. Now, the Trojans are coming off three straight losses because the postseason begins.

“We’ve been getting ready higher for follow and matches and actually concentrate on the little issues. We’re additionally specializing in our aspect of the online. However I feel it began in follow and has carried over to the matches,” Fields mentioned. “We’re getting increasingly more comfy doing issues, so once we get to the sport conditions, it’s not new or stunning to us. It’s one thing we’ve already been by way of earlier than.

“I additionally assume our group lastly understands what it takes to be mentally locked in, each single match, each single level. That’s one thing that’s actually helped us, particularly since we now have loads of actually younger gamers.”