In a Big Ten matchup between the USC Trojans and the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the No. 21 USC women’s volleyball team defeated No. 12 Minnesota in four sets (25-23, 22-25, 25-11, 25-18). The Trojans took the upset win at home and advanced to 3-1 in conference play.
The match was characterized by the Trojans’ ability to upset Minnesota’s offense by serving aggressively. From there, their offense was able to easily find holes in the Gophers defense.
“Today, what made us really good was being able to just go out there play free, play confident and play with our heart,” USC senior setter Mia Tuaniga said.
The Gophers came out strong with two early blocks in set one, followed by an ace by sophomore libero Zeynep Palabiyik. USC’s redshirt sophomore outside hitter Adonia Faumuina then got things started for the Trojans with her first cross-court kill.
A three-point run led by USC freshman outside hitter Jadyn Livings from the service line put USC ahead of Minnesota early. An assertive kill down the line by Faumuina erupted the Galen Center fans and gave USC the momentum in the beginning of the set.
“I want to make sure we thank the fans,” head coach Brad Keller said. “There were a lot of really young, energetic, enthusiastic fans in there that are really gravitating towards what we’re doing here and I can’t thank that enough.”
It was a battle of the pins from both teams in set one. USC graduate outside Ally Batenhorst was hot from the pin with two kills, putting up a .250 hitting percentage. But Minnesota redshirt senior opposite Lydia Grote would keep the score even with a solo block against Batenhorst, while also getting two quick kills.
Minnesota’s redshirt senior setter Melani Shaffmaster — known for her tricky setter dumps — caught the USC defense off guard and tipped the ball with force to the back corner of the USC side. The Gophers forced a USC timeout as they took a 20-17 lead in set one.
An attacking error by Minnesota’s junior outside Julia Hanson, however, then put USC on top 1-0, getting the 25-23 win in the first set. Attacking was outstanding for USC as they hit .286 to Minnesota’s .108.
Faumuina opened up set two by finding her spot in the cross court and continuing to make her presence known in a newly updated outside position.
The dynamic duo for the Gophers, Grote and Shaffmaster, were connecting in set two to keep them even with the Trojans at 9-9. The Minnesota duo were the only two hitting above .000 for the Gophers as the team struggled to get its offense going.
An unexpected hit from the right side by Tuaniga excited the crowd at Galen Center and gave USC a 19-17 lead in the second set. However, Shaffmaster and redshirt junior middle blocker Kali Engeman were able to put set two away for the Gophers with a block against Faumuina, 25-22. The match tied 1-1.
Scrappy and defensive plays started the third set at the booming Galen Center and Trojan redshirt freshman middle blocker Leah Ford was able to shut down Shaffmaster’s setter dump attempt, putting USC up 7-2 against Minnesota.
All the momentum stayed on the Trojan’s side, with an aggressive kill from the middle by Ford followed by an beaming ace from junior libero Gala Trubint.
The Gophers struggled on getting their offense going in the third set, hitting at -.200. Blocking by USC increased and added pressure on the hitters for the Gophers, shutting them down from every option. USC went up 14-5 as the Trojans hit an exceptional .667 as a team.
USC rolled past the Gophers in set three 25-11. It was an offensive shutout for the Trojans, as Batenhorst and Faumuina were up to double-digit kills at that point to put the match at 2-1.
Shaffmaster continued to fight for the Gophers and started set four with a setter dump to the middle court. The Gopher setter was a crucial player for Minnesota, leading her team in hitting percentage and assists with 28.
The USC outsiders put on a show for the fans in the Galen Center in the fourth set. Livings joined the double-digit kill club and allowed USC to spread its offense and put pressure on the Gopher defense.
The underdog USC Trojans secured the win with a dominant block by Batenhorst to finish the set 25-19. It was a big and meaningful win for the Trojans as a team.
“[Faumuina and I have] been on this team for three years,” Tuaniga said, starting to tear up. “This is the first time we are really playing with each other. This is family right here.”