USC had a victorious weekend as they secured back-to-back wins over the LSU Tigers and the Cal Bears. The Trojans capped it off with a four-set victory over UC Berkeley, continuing their strong early-season push. The Trojans opened the match with an electrifying start, holding the Bears to a .000 hitting percentage in set one.
Cal struggled to handle USC’s relentless pressure at the net and from the service line. Sophomore London Wijay led the attack with a .150 average, while freshman setter Reese Messer distributed the ball effectively, finishing the frame with a .320 percentage. The balanced attack kept Cal on its heels and highlighted the Trojans’ ability to move the ball efficiently.
Photo Cred: USC
Set two, however, saw the Bears bounce back. Cal secured a 27-25 win after maintaining a steady lead for much of the set. USC struggled with unforced errors and keeping attacks inbounds, though they never allowed the Bears to completely pull away.
“On our side, we need to be a lot better at attacking the court,” said USC head coach Brad Keller. “We had 52 digs each. We had 15 blocks to their six. Clearly, we’re playing defense, we’re just not scoring the ball. Next week is going to be about not necessarily the defensive side of things, but transitions and killing the ball.”
Despite a team hitting percentage of just .099 overall, the Trojans still had several key contributors. Wijay finished with four kills, junior Adonia Faumuina followed with three kills, and Messer tallied 11 assists to guide the offense. Freshmen Mullen and Messer also chipped in three sets each, providing steady support in the middle of the lineup. On the other side of the net, Cal began to build momentum behind standout sophomore Dominique Phills, who collected four kills and 16 receptions.
Setter Maria Știrbu contributed 12 assists, helping the Bears to a .097 hitting percentage. Set three began with more struggles for USC as the Bears jumped out to an early lead. But a critical timeout allowed the Trojans to regroup. From that moment on, the energy inside the arena shifted. USC stormed back with renewed confidence, hitting .276 with 15 kills compared to Cal’s .062. A decisive kill by senior Riley McGinest sealed the set, swinging momentum firmly in USC’s favor and igniting the home crowd.
“I was hired to compete and win national championships. Everything we do, talk, and act on will be about that goal,” Keller said. “It’s not an accident that we are now 9-1. I don’t mean that arrogantly—I just believe in this team. The goal is to always win the Big Ten and the national championship.”
The Trojans carried that energy into set four, closing the match with their most dominant performance of the night. USC rolled to a 25-14 victory, hitting .379 as a team. Freshman Abigail Mullen and classmate Taylor Deckert both had four digs, with Mullen also adding five kills. Sophomore Mia Tvrdy chipped in four more kills to round out a balanced offensive effort. Cal, meanwhile, finished the set with a .167 hitting rate as the Trojans overwhelmed them on both sides of the ball.
Photo Cred: USC
For Keller, the mix of experienced leaders and rising underclassmen is the difference-maker.
“I think these young, talented players see and understand the assignment. We have leadership. Adonia came and hit .467. It’s just a lot of really good humans in one building that are all about the same thing,” he said. “And when you have that, and you have direction, discipline, and consistency, then you can get to some spaces that other people cannot.”
With the victory, USC improved to 9-1 on the season. The Trojans now turn their focus to Sept. 26, when they will play their first-ever Big Ten Conference game against Penn State. For many of the players, it will be their Big Ten debut—an important milestone in what Keller hopes will be a championship-caliber season.
