No. 22 USC captured the Trojan Invitational title Sept. 7 in three consecutive sets against No. 13 Creighton at Galen Center.
The Bluejays entered the match on a two-game win streak, with victories over the University of San Diego and UC Santa Barbara, but couldn’t overcome the Trojans’ balanced attack and steady defense. The win extended USC’s all-time series lead over Creighton to 7-4.
Check out photos from Sunday’s action here:
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USC fell behind for much of the opening set but rallied from a 23-20 deficit with five straight points to take it 25-23. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter London Wijay played a crucial role in that comeback, with an ace and a kill. USC used another late five-point run in the second set to win 25-22.
“The most challenging part was adapting to the block,” Wijay said. “They’re a pretty big team. Often as a hitter you kind of warm up to the game and figure out what shots are going to work.”
The Trojans moved with confidence after their consecutive comebacks and dominated the final set, hitting .500 with 15 kills on 36 swings to seal the sweep 25-16. USC went on a 7-1 run, giving it a 17-9 lead.
Freshman setter Reese Messer played a major role in the team’s success, especially in its final set, with 11 assists. Senior middle blocker Rylie McGinest also contributed three kills to win the game.
“We were down a lot but we trusted our training to get back to where we were,” Wijay said. “In the last two days we went to five [sets], so to pull out a sweep against an amazing team that’s ranked pretty high just showed what our team can accomplish.”
Wijay led the team with nine kills, matching Creighton senior outside hitter Ava Martin for the game’s top total. She also contributed three digs, two aces and a block.
Freshman opposite Abigail Mullen, named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, added seven kills, 12 digs, three blocks and an ace. Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Leah Ford led the team with six blocks (one solo) and four kills. Additionally, Wijay and Messer were named to the All-Tournament Team.
USC (5-0) stays unbeaten and will play next week at the LMU Invitational where it will face another undefeated team, BYU (6-0) on Sept. 11.
“We’re excited to see what we can do with other teams,” Wijay said. “BYU is the number one blocking team in the nation, so I think we’re going to have to really emphasize on our shot selection, and just taking one ball at a time. I’m excited to see a really big block and how our team does under pressure.”