The dream lives on for the UA women's volleyball team as they defeated USC last night to move on to the school's first ever Final Four appearance.

The Wildcats(25-4 overall) battled the Trojans from the first serve and they were able to prevail with a 3-2(25-30, 30-24, 30-24, 28-30, 15-12).

The road for Arizona does not get any easier as its next opponent is top ranked Long Beach State, who has not lost a match all-season.

The Trojans took control of he match early by winning the first game in dominating fashion.

However, UA responded and they took a 25-21 second game lead, when the match took a swing in favor of the Wildcats.

USC sophomore outside hitter April Ross collided with Wildcats senior outside hitter Jill Talbot and she was never able to return to the floor.

"We have practiced for Murphy's Law and we thought we could overcome anything," USC head coach Mick Haley said. "Tonight you saw an effort. The players just slugged it out. We just came out a little short."

UA All-American Dana Burkholder said that the impact of Ross's loss was big, but that USC would have fought the same with her on or off the court.

"As a leader, she plays a huge role," Burkholder said. "I think they lost a little of their heart and chemistry, but they still battled and took us to five games. I know that it would have been the same type of battle if she was in there."

The Wildcats went on to win games two and three.

With elimination looking the Trojans straight in the face, USC came out firing in the fourth game.

The Women of Troy stormed out to an early 3-0 lead.

The Wildcats were unable to make a dent in lead until they battled to cut the lead to 27-28 with Burkholder up to serve.

Uncharacteristic of an All-American, Burkholder hit the serve into the net to give the Trojans a 27-29 lead and they won the fourth game 30-28.

The momentum switched back to the Trojans going into the fifth and deciding game.

USC came out and built a 12-9 lead and it looked like they were headed to its second straight Final Four appearance, but UA never quit.

"We fought way too hard all season and come too far to say goodbye to that," junior middle blocker Stefani Saragosa said. "We have been against stuff like this all season and we have accepted that we have to fight for every point. We just knew that we were going to come out on top."

The Wildcats battled back and won the last six points to take the fifth game 15-12.

"I love our team," Burkholder said. "We have all given so much to each other to earn this. I'm going to cherish that moment forever. As a setter, it's incredible to have your teammates be able to take over a match."

Talbot led the way for the Wildcats with a match high 18 kills on a.378 hitting percentage. She also added 17 digs.

UA junior outside hitter Shannon Torregrosa started the match off slow, but she bounced back to finish with 16 kills.

Burkholder took home tournament MVP honors and Talbot was named to the Pacific Region All-Tournament team."

Arizona Athletic Director Jim Livengood said that this match was another step in Rubio's plan of making UA a dominant volleyball program for years to come.