USC women’s volleyball welcomed their opponents from the Bay with a block party Sunday. The team recorded 12 total team blocks – seven more than Cal – in a 25-20, 25-27, 25-18, 25-14 victory.
The Trojans’ commanding defensive presence at the net was established from the opening whistle, with three of its first five points coming in the form of combo blocks. At the forefront of the team’s defensive excellence was sophomore middle blocker Mia Tvrdy, assisting on two of those first three blocks.
The 6-foot-1 Nebraska native recorded eight blocks while hitting a scorching .429 on 21 swings, recording 10 kills and one error.
On the attacking side of things, outside hitter London Wijay led the team with four first-set kills. She was joined by freshman standout Abigail Mullen’s productive outing at the service line with three aces and one error on eight attempts, helping USC pull through a first set that was riddled with errors on both sides. A Tvrdy-Mullen combo block sent the game into the second set with USC up 1-0.
“There’s been a premium on defense in general within these walls,” head coach Brad Keller said. “I would say it’s a 70% focus for us on that side of the ball for now.”
In a tightly contested second set, great ball distribution from freshman setter Maria Stribu and a series of errors from USC led to Cal tying the game up 1-1. Six Golden Bears finished the game with 10 or more attack attempts, with eight different players recording a kill.
“Good teams are motivated, great teams are disciplined,” Keller said when asked what was discussed in the locker room following the second set. “I thought we were pretty undisciplined that second set. So it wasn’t about changing a whole lot or, ‘we have to do something uniquely different.’ It’s, we had to get more disciplined in all the small areas.”
USC certainly took coach Keller’s words to heart, as they cut down on unforced errors in the third. As the team cleaned the game up, USC’s agility and athleticism began showing through on the outside.
The three-pronged weapon of Tvrdy, Wijay and Mullen led the charge offensively, with junior outside hitter Adonia Faumuina contributing as well. A five-point run — fueled by kills from Wijay and Mullen and three long rallies ending in Cal attack errors — pushed USC ahead 17-12. From there, USC pulled away to take the set with ease.
A similar framework was followed in the fourth. After Abigail Mullen put USC up 12-10 with an ace, the team kept her at the service line for five more points. The run included two aces from Mullen herself and kills from the usual suspects, Tvrdy and Wijay.
The defense never let up, only allowing four more Cal points as the team stretched its win streak to four. Now, USC will take its momentum on the road for a Friday night matchup against the reigning national champions, No. 13 Penn State.
“They’re the reigning national champions…and they’re always elite. That coaching staff is elite, and they’ve got great, great players around,” Keller said. “Kennedy Martin is probably one of the top two or three players in the country that can get them out of anything. So we’re going to take it very, very seriously.”
Martin, a 6-foot-6 right side hitter, is coming off a sophomore season in which she was a first-team AVCA All-American, All-SEC First Team, and led the nation in points/set with 6.28. Coach Keller and the women’s volleyball team will have much to prepare for in what is shaping up to be a big-time conference battle.