NCAA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

USC’s dreams of playing in a Final Four for a second consecutive season came crashing to a halt when sophomore outside hitter April Ross went crashing to the Sports Arena floor.

Ross, who suffered a sprained left ankle coming down after attempting a block, could only sit idly by, her lower leg wrapped in ice, and watch as the Trojans fell to Arizona, 30-25, 24-30, 24-30, 30-28, 12-15, before a crowd of 1,078 in the an NCAA regional final at USC.

Arizona (25-4) will play in its first Final Four in school history against top-ranked Long Beach State.

Ross, a first team all-Pacific 10 selection, went down with the Trojans behind, 25-21, in the second game on the right side of the net after a midair collision with Arizona’s Jill Talbot.

“As a leader, [Ross] plays a huge role,” said Wildcat senior setter Dana Burkholder, the regional’s most outstanding player. “I think they just lost a little bit of their heart, a little bit of their team chemistry.”

Freshman outside hitter Keao Burdine had 16 kills and senior middle blocker Jennifer Pahl had 15 kills for the Trojans (25-4), who hit .199 for the match.

Arizona hit .232 and was led by Talbot, a senior outside hitter, who had 18 kills.