When Adonia Faumuina first put on a USC uniform in 2022, her collegiate volleyball debut didn’t go the way anyone expected. The freshman from Long Beach Poly had been sidelined most of the year with an injury – until an even bigger twist forced her onto the court.
After starting setter Mia Tuaniga went down late in the regular season, Faumuina was pressed into action, shifting from her usual outside hitter role to run the offense against Washington.
“We were at Washington – I specifically remember, I was on the sideline, like I wasn’t suited up or nothing,” Faumuina recalled. “But as soon as I saw Mia go down, I looked to the sideline and I looked on the court. I was like, ‘There’s no other setter on this roster… OK, I have to step up and I have to mentally prepare myself.’”
Going in to play cost Faumuina her redshirt.
Faumuina had not played as a setter since high school. But in that moment, there was no hesitation.
“We were ending the game, and I just remember, on that flight, I kept on mentally preparing myself because I knew the UCLA game was coming up the next day,” she says. “I was really nervous, obviously – it was my first college game, and I had to sub in for our starting setter, the person that’s been there for so long. I just wanted to fill those shoes. Those were really big shoes to fill.”
Through support on and off the court, she did.
“With the help of my teammates and the support from them – especially Mia, that’s my girl – she prayed over me,” Faumuina said. “[Outside hitter] Skylar [Fields], Cleo, the entire team… as soon as they found their trust in me, I knew how to play the game.”
In her first collegiate match, Faumuina delivered a double-double: 39 assists (sets that lead directly to kills), 12 digs (defensive saves on opponent attacks), and three blocks to lead USC past the Bruins. A week later, she added 40 assists and five digs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against High Point.
For a player who hadn’t expected to set foot on the court that year, let alone at a completely different position, it was a stunning first impression.
Head coach Brad Keller still remembers watching the moment unfold.
“She’s so different,” Keller said. “It’s amazing when you see the change in players from when they’re young, and then when they get it … She’s got it. She understands.”
That understanding, though, came with time.
Faumuina sat out the next season and received a redshirt in 2023 after another injury setback.
What could have been two lost years instead became the foundation of her growth, learning patience, resilience and perspective. Keller saw the transformation happening quietly behind the scenes.
“She’s a lot calmer in general,” Keller said. “She’s not trying to make the extreme shot; she’s making the right choice.”
“She has a control of it, of her talent,” he added. “And that’s when you start becoming good.”
By the fall of 2024, Faumuina was finally healthy and ready for her first full season of action.
The 6-foot-1 outside hitter started 32 matches and appeared in 119 sets, collecting 299 kills, 98 digs and 90 blocks. She earned a spot on the Creighton Classic All-Tournament Team and the Big Ten Fall All-Academic Team, proving she could perform at an elite level while balancing academic excellence. She ranked 35th in the Big Ten for kills per set (2.52) and recorded a career-high 20 kills at Northwestern.
Before USC, Faumuina was a standout at Long Beach Poly High School, where she was named to the Under Armour All-America first-team, All-Moore League Girls Volleyball Most Valuable Player, and was the No. 7 prospect by PrepVolleyball.com. Her prep career established her as one of Southern California’s most complete players.
That kind of production and perseverance reflects the core of Faumuina’s journey. She has learned to approach every moment on court with gratitude and focus, understanding what it means to fight back from the sidelines.
“I think it’s so easy to help out all the newcomers because they all came in fresh and they wanted to be here,” she says. “They wanted to learn what our systems are, and they’re very determined to get that natty [national championship]. There’s leadership from everywhere on the court.”
That leadership is something Keller notices daily.
“She looks at her teammates and says, ‘We’re going this way,’ and they go, ‘Yep, we’re going that way,’” he said. “She’s just in a different space.”
He laughs, too, about how far she’s come.
“We’re bribing her with Takis,” Keller joked. “If she gets over .300, she gets like a little bag of Takis.”
Humor aside, Keller sees Faumuina as part of the heartbeat of USC’s current run.
“It filters all the way down throughout the program,” he said. “They’re guiding the young group that’s doing so well, and they’re managing this entire thing. They’re leading by example, they’re consistent, positive, under control.”
Faumuina’s leadership comes naturally. When she’s not in the rotation, she’s the first off the bench to celebrate, the voice you hear between plays, the energy that keeps the Trojans locked in.
“It’s kind of easy because I’m an older sister and one of the oldest grandkids, so they’re kind of like my little kids,” she said with a smile.
That family connection runs deep.
Born and raised in Long Beach with Polynesian roots, Faumuina says her community and family in L.A. are her foundation. Faumuina’s father is from American Samoa, and her mother is from Tonga but grew up in Hawaii.
“I would run through a wall – I’ll do anything for my family,” she said. “USC has grown to be like my family. I would do anything for these girls.”
Keller sees that same spirit as the foundation of the entire team.
“They know this [program] is theirs,” Keller said. “They don’t have to live up to anyone’s standards; it’s our standards and what we want to do, and it’s about us. They take ownership, they check in with each other, they always show up. They dance and sing. They try to make fun of me, but they suck at it.”
Now a redshirt junior, Faumuina stands as one of the veterans of the program, a picture of consistency, toughness and maturity. Her 2025 season has already included a 16-kill performance vs. UCLA and a six-block outing at Penn State.
But for Faumuina, the journey is about more than stats – it’s about growth, leadership and what comes next.
“It’s really a blessing to be part of this program because I know from the higher-ups to [Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director] Ed [Stewart], [Charles Griffin Cale Director of Athletics] Jen [Cohen], to Brad and all of our coaches, I know they got my back,” she said.
Looking ahead, her goals are clear. She wants to play professionally, which she’s been building toward since she was young.
Her path has already proven she’s willing to do whatever it takes – to step in, to lead, to fight through, and to keep playing the game she loves.
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