The Trojans move to 10-4 as their offense led them to a victory at Galen Center over Colorado Friday in four sets 25-15, 23-25, 25-19, 28-26.
A large part of the Trojans’ offensive success came from sophomore setter Mia Tuaniga’s serving. She recorded 10 service aces, breaking the school record in a single game.
“I haven’t seen a performance like that in a long time,” head coach Brad Keller said. “Her serve is just so unique, right? And then when she hits it deep like that, it hits … shoulder level and it’s still going in. And that makes it really tough to pass the ball.”
The offense was also assisted by Pac-12 preseason all-conference outside hitter Skylar Fields, who recorded 24 kills with a .309 hitting percentage.
USC started the first set with a 5-1 lead. Though the Buffaloes tied it at 5-5, the Trojans took control of the set and pulled away late.
The Trojans reached a 24-15 lead and were looking to finish the set. Graduate student libero Kelli Barry passed it to Tuaniga, who everyone thought would set it to Fields, but instead tapped the ball over the net, faking out the Buffaloes and recording the set-winning kill.
USC began the second set with a 7-3 lead, but three attack errors and a service error allowed Colorado to rally back to a 9-8 lead. The Trojans committed 10 errors, which was pivotal in a set they narrowly lost 25-23.
“It’s a thing of how to manage the game better, manage the ball, [and] pass[ing],” Fields said.
Keller also hopes to improve in the blocking game.
“I think we started touching more volleyballs at the net tonight than we did [previously], but we need to start blocking those balls,” Keller said.
When the third set began, the Trojans jumped out to an 11-3 lead. Five of the 11 points came from kills, which all belonged to Fields.
The Buffaloes fought back to cut the deficit to four, 13-9. Tuaniga was up to serve, and the Cardinal & Gold Classic most outstanding player delivered.
She ripped off two service aces, which freshman outside hitter Jordan Wilson followed up with a kill. Colorado called a timeout at 16-9. When play resumed, Tuaniga racked up two more service aces in a row.
The fourth set consisted of 33 lead-changes. The first few points displayed elite offense on both ends with tremendous kills but lacked defensive highlights. Play embodied elite setting and killing, but the liberos on both sides repeatedly missed dig attempts.
Toward the end, however, the defense on both sides improved, leading to longer points. Both liberos successfully dug more often. The set was tied at 26-26.
Fields then made a last-second dig as she dove way out to her side, and it would have also been a kill had Wilson’s hand not skimmed the ball before it crossed the net. This gave USC a 27-26 lead, and an attack error from Colorado gave the Trojans the victory.
Throughout the game, Buffalo fans made their presence known, but the Trojans were certainly louder in their own arena. Fans screamed after every point won, the DJ got everyone on their feet during key moments, and the band screamed comical chants like “We want tacos!”
“The crowd definitely gives us energy, especially during long rallies,” Fields said. “It’s really exciting to have them behind our back.”
USC even had a special group of supporters show up: the girls volleyball team from Jackson Middle School.
“It was a really cool moment because I just know like that was us when we were younger,” Tuaniga said.
For Keller, his team’s inexperience leaves plenty of room for improvement.
“We have a lot of freshmen on the floor, and we’re learning how to play the game and learning how to do really small, unique things, but they add up to points here and there,” Keller said. “What’s going to happen is once we get a rhythm going, we’re gonna start getting points more in bunches.”
USC will look to continue their success as they face off against Utah at Galen Center Sunday Oct. 2.