After completing the five-set comeback win the night before against UC Santa Barbara, USC women’s volleyball finished off the University of San Diego in five sets. This was USC’s second match of the Trojan Invitational at Galen Center.
USC opened the match with freshman setter Reese Messer setting up sophomore middle blocker Mia Trvdy in the middle for a dominating kill. However, the Trojans struggled to control their rotational errors early in the set, dampening their energy.
USC head coach Brad Keller took responsibility for his lineup errors to begin the match.
“I’ve been coaching for around 20 years and I’ve never turned in a wrong lineup,” Keller said. “So that opening set was on me and nothing else.”
Keller’s mistake cost USC early as they fell behind 7-4 to the Toreros. The Trojans continued to struggle as a team, especially against their block, as they held USC to a negative hitting percentage most of the set. Despite having a record night against Santa Barbara, freshman opposite hitter Abigail Mullen only had one kill in the first set for the Trojans. Without Mullen’s offensive help, the Trojans dropped the opening set to the Toreros 25-15.
Looking to turn things around in the second set, USC came out aggressive both offensively and defensively. Their defense racked up three blocks compared to San Diego’s one and their offense put down 14 kills. However, the Trojan defense still couldn’t fully control San Diego sophomore outside hitter Isabel Clark’s powerhouse swing as she picked up three early kills to put the Toreros in the lead. USC continued to fall behind when Mullen was met at the net by the San Diego defense with their fifth block as a team.
The fight in the Trojans still powered through, as they pulled together a set changing run lead by redshirt junior outside hitter Adonia Faumuina behind the service line. San Diego’s momentum was crumbling and with a tight joust at the net won by USC the Torero’s found themselves down two late in the set. Faumuina was able to seal the win for the Trojans with her seventh kill, tying the match 1-1.
Despite a 3-0 start for the Torero’s, they were unable to gain back the momentum the rest of set three. USC was led by their outside hitter duo of Faumuina, putting up five kills, and redshirt sophomore London Wijay with three kills. Messer then began to spread her offense for the Trojans, setting up redshirt sophomore middle blocker Leah Ford for a kill to put USC up 10-8.
The Trojans secured a three set win with a Messer solo block to give USC a 2-1 lead. San Diego was only able to hit a .143 hitting percentage compared to USC’s .364 and ultimately struggled defensively with three blocks to the Trojans’ five.
The match was a game of ups and downs, but the Toreros were not ready to go down without a fight. In a must win set four, San Diego was led by Clark with her five kills and the team’s collective .318 hitting percentage, a complete turn around offensively by the Toreros.
On the Trojans’ side, service errors defined set four as they gave up eight points just in service errors. San Diego took full advantage and junior outside hitter Nemo Beach racked up her eighth kill to help the Toreros keep the set tight. San Diego stayed alive with a USC hitting error that gave them the set win 25-22.
In the fifth set, the teams were playing their best, both were hitting in the .400s and above. San Diego took an early 6-3 lead after Clark got her 20th kill of the night, forcing a USC timeout. The Trojans attacked back with an ace by Mullen and a block by senior middle blocker Rylie McGinest.
San Diego suffered a miscommunication error between their setter and middle blocker, resulting in a dropped ball that tied the match at 14-14. USC wasted no time to finish the set with a timely ace by senior defensive specialist Gala Trubint and a kill by Wijay. The Trojans beat the Toreros 16-14 to seal the match.
“I loved the way they fought. I love the way that they stuck together,” said Keller about his team’s performance tonight. “They just got to work, and even at the darkest hour at the last moment, they just did not give up.”
The Trojans plan to continue their undefeated season on Sept. 7 when they host No. 13 Creighton in their final match at the Trojan Invitational.