No. 9 Stanford women’s volleyball (16-6, 10-4 Pac-12) will seek to beat USC (16-9, 8-6 Pac-12) for the second time this season on Thursday at Maples Pavilion.

There’s a reason Stanford hasn’t lost to USC in over a year. In the teams’ Oct. 23 meeting, Stanford won decisively in three games, ending the Trojans’ three-game winning streak at the time. Look for junior middle blocker Merete Lutz – who lead the team with 12 kills and five blocks in the previous Stanford-USC game – to keep USC’s defense on their heels all night long. On the defensive side, look for senior middle blocker Inky Ajanaku to set the tone, especially after her impressive eight-block performance in the last game between these Pac-12 rivals.

The Cardinal are looking to continue their five-match winning streak and want to keep moving up in the rankings after jumping up four spots last week. As Stanford prepares for its final five matches of the season, it looks ahead to the postseason and the possibility of home court advantage.

Stanford and USC face off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday in Maples Pavilion. The match will be televised on ESPNU.

Contact Julia Massaro at jmassaro’at’stanford.edu.