At 6-foot-3, with a fierce swing and calm composure, opposite hitter Abigail Mullen doesn’t look like a freshman.
The Kansas City native and first USC women’s volleyball player ever from Missouri arrived in Los Angeles with a résumé that reads like a veteran’s.
Mullen is part of a family built on athletic tradition. Her mother, Jill, was a right-side hitter at the University of Iowa from 1996 to 2000. Her father, Scott, played quarterback for the Hawkeyes during the same years. Her older sister, Ashley, once a setter at UCLA, is now playing at NC State.
“Growing up, sports has always been something that’s in our family,” Mullen said. “We’ve always had a competitive culture, and I think that’s really good to have to figure out how to be disciplined in life.”
Mullen was exposed to a wide range of sports at an early age.
“I started with a bunch of sports: soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball, all the stuff,” she said. “But around fifth grade, I started liking volleyball more out of all of them.”
As she fell in love with the game, her family was right there beside her, especially her sister.
Ashley Mullen, a junior setter, recorded a career-high 27 assists in this year’s NC State’s season opener against Akron. During high school, Ashley was a four-year varsity player and helped lead Liberty High School to the Greater Kansas City Suburban Conference Championship during her senior season alongside her younger sister.
“I got to play with my sister for two years [in high school], so that was really exciting,” the freshman said. “It was good to play with her because I’ve always just watched her and never played with her.”
That bond helped fuel her rise.
At Liberty High School in Liberty, Missouri, Mullen was a four-time first-team All-Conference, All-District and All-State selection. She earned 2024 AVCA High School All-America First Team, Under Armour All-American honors and starred for Adidas Dynasty Volleyball Club, helping her teams capture national titles and podium finishes across age groups.
“[Dynasty] was just a great experience for me. A really competitive culture,” she said.
Mullen was also a member of the USAV U19 and U21 national teams, winning gold at the 2022 U19 Pan American Cup and the 2023 U19 World Championship in Croatia.
When it came time to choose a university, Mullen was ready to carve her own path–even if that meant going a different direction from her sister.
“The good thing about my sister and me is that we like to have our own journey,” Abigail Mullen said. “I knew that while it was going to be nice if she was here [in Los Angeles], that would be a plus, but at the same time that wasn’t anything that really factored into me coming. It was really about what I saw for myself, and I know she would’ve been happy with anything that I picked.”
Ashley Mullen started all 19 matches she appeared in during her freshman season at UCLA, but did not play her sophomore season due to injury, leading to her transfer out of the state.
Abigail’s choice came down to vision and fit.
“I think the vision that [head coach Brad Keller] had for this program was just something I wanted to be a part of,” Mullen said. “I think USC has — and is doing — a really good job of bringing it back to its dominance. That’s an exciting space for me to be in, and I’m really excited that I get to be a part of that journey for these four years.”
Mullen committed to USC during her junior year on Nov. 7, 2023. The Missouri native graduated early from Liberty High School in December 2024 and was able to head to USC for the spring semester.
“I felt like this group was a championship-caliber team,” she added. “I knew that coming here, I would be challenged, and it would be a good place for me to be for the four years that I’m in college.”
That challenge has met her head-on. Through the early 2025 season, Mullen posted 22 kills and 27 points against UC Santa Barbara, 15 digs versus LSU and five aces at Ohio State.
She opened the year by notching a double-double in the Trojans’ first weekend of competition, joining teammates redshirt sophomore middle blocker Leah Ford and freshman setter Reese Messer as first-time double-double earners. She has become an immediate offensive weapon on the right side, offering size, range and consistency.
Keller has seen that consistency since day one.
“Abigail knows this — Abigail is Abigail’s biggest critic,” Keller said. “It’s not perfectionism. She just wants to hit the home run.”
“I think it’s really eating at her,” he added. “But she’s in there, and she is one of the most steady volleyball players. She’s not afraid of anything. She is consistent. She’s a true professional.”
Mid-season, Mullen had a tough match against Washington on 10/26 with one kill and five errors, producing a negative hitting percentage. After resetting, during the next match versus crosstown-rival UCLA, Mullen put up 11 kills on 22 attacks for a .318 hitting percentage.
Mullen’s background, Keller said, plays a major part in her professionalism.
“She comes from a family and a background that they know how to compete and win and get in there, and it’s what she’s doing,” Keller said. “You saw it last night. Two nights ago she got pulled, and then last night she hit .300 and had like four blocks and just completely dominated all aspects of the game.”
Mullen earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice this season, the most recent coming after her double-double in the sweep of Michigan State and 11 kills against Michigan last week.
“I love how she always shows up,” Keller said. “There’s no excuses. She just gets after it. She holds herself to a super high-level standard, and it’s going to pay dividends for her down the road. And for us — all of us — for sure.”
Still, Mullen keeps her focus on growth.
“Oh gosh, there’s so much I can always work on,” Mullen said. “One thing is blocking. Just trying to put up a consistent block, whether that’s reading or making moves. I think I can always continue to improve, especially against all the big outsides in the Big Ten.”
Mullen leads her team with 50 service aces and has the second most blocks at 94.
“Then defense and the D-ball,” she continued. “Improving my defense is going to help me play six rotations, and improving the D-ball is going to help me get back on the court for six rotations, just figuring out any way I can contribute to the team.”
That humility and focus reflect the same values she learned growing up.
“The way I grew up really helped me with my whole entire journey through life,” she said. “Through all the different stages of volleyball I’ve been in: how to be humble, how to do everything with 100% effort and not to take anything for granted.”
And at USC, she’s found a home that mirrors those principles.
“Everyone is literally the best, and they’re all just so welcoming,” Mullen said. “The good thing about this team is that we push each other while still respecting each other, and that’s a really big deal to have in a competitive environment.”
This season, the Trojans tied for third place in the Big Ten and earned a berth to the NCAA tournament, sweeping Princeton in round one.
“I couldn’t imagine myself being anywhere else,” she said. “I feel so loved by everyone — with the girls and the coaches.”
Keller believes that environment is what allows players like Mullen to thrive.
“I like our personalities. I like our swag. I like everything that’s going on right now with our group,” he said. “They truly love each other. I think they love the staff. I think they think I’m the crazy uncle now at this point, which is fine.”
For Mullen, that sense of belonging drives her every day. The freshman from Missouri has settled into her own rhythm; steady, confident and surrounded by teammates who feel like family.
“That’s who she is — and it’s only her freshman year,” Keller said. “We’re just getting started with this. Her ceiling is through the roof.”