USC women’s volleyball suffered a 3-0 defeat against crosstown rival UCLA at Pauley Pavilion Saturday afternoon.
The No. 22 Trojans (11-5, 2-4 Big Ten) were coming off a 3-0 win over Oregon Thursday night as they headed into Saturday’s match against the unranked Bruins (10-6, 4-2).
USC came out strong at the beginning of the first set, at one point leading UCLA 12-5. Redshirt junior outside hitter Adonia Faumuina led the front row with four kills and two solo blocks in the set.
As the Bruins climbed back up the scoreboard, the Trojan offense had difficulty adjusting to the block, resulting in a hitting percentage of .077 in the first set. USC‘s defense couldn’t manage to stop UCLA junior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette, who finished the match with 14 kills.
The Bruins came back to secure their first lead in the set at 18-17, eventually eking out a 25-21 win over the Trojans.
Faumuina again led the offensive charge in set two with a pair of consecutive solo blocks followed immediately by a kill to give USC an 8-4 lead, causing UCLA to call a timeout. After serving into the net and having a backrow attack denied by the Bruins’ block, redshirt sophomore outside hitter London Wijay cinched a kill from the backrow after a rally.
The Bruins again found their momentum as UCLA freshman setter Kate Duffey brought the score to 12-12 with a service ace. USC head coach Brad Keller challenged the call, though officials upheld the original ruling that the serve was in bounds.
Set two ended 25-22 in favor of the Bruins after a service error from USC senior defensive specialist Megan Verbiest.
The Trojans had nine service errors throughout the match, compared to the Bruins’ four.
USC again saw defeat in the third set, losing 25-15. Though it seemed like the game might have been changing in USC’s favor after freshman right side Abigail Mullen ended a rally with a kill, the Trojans quickly lost momentum again after senior middle blocker Rylie McGinest served the ball into the net. The Bruins ended the set with a 5-0 run.
USC redshirt freshman outside hitter Brooklyn Tealer was a standout in the final set, with five kills on seven attempts for a hitting percentage of .714.
The Trojans look to bounce back when they play the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday at Galen Center.