With USC trailing 22-17 in the third set of a battle with crosstown rival UCLA, star freshman outside hitter London Wijay stared at the ground in frustration. Bruins middle blocker Desiree Becker had just blocked her, Wijay’s fifth error of the set, and UCLA was closing in on a crucial 2-1 set advantage.

Junior setter Mia Tuaniga shouted a simple message for the seventeen-year-old: “Keep swinging!”

It is a sentiment that Tuaniga would repeat countless times over the final two sets of the match, both won by the Trojans as they pulled off a spirited comeback win. Wijay, named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after racking up 18 kills and 12 digs in a win over No. 17 Purdue, was key to the victory yet again. She had a game-high 23 kills and added 10 digs with two service aces.

“I think I play better [when I am] relaxed, and when I make mistakes, it definitely makes me more tense out there,” Wijay said. “So, just hearing ‘keep swinging’ and knowing that they still believe in me to take that rip I just got blocked on is a good feeling.”

Fourth-year Head Coach Brad Keller is reveling in the development of Wijay, Prep Dig’s No. 2 ranked recruit in the class of 2023. She was used sparingly at the start of the campaign, but her production and growth has become impossible for the coaching staff to ignore.

“Every game, she’s growing. She’s getting better and better and better,” Keller said. “She’s playing by the back row now, she’s getting more service pressures, and she’s getting more comfortable passing. I’ve been really impressed with her.”

The emergence of Wijay was crucial in a game that All-American senior outside hitter Skylar Fields struggled for large parts of. Fields had 10 errors and just a .173 hitting percentage on 52 attacks.

But when the Trojans needed her most, Fields came through. At 15-14 in the fifth set, the crowd at Pauley Pavilion rose to their feet, roaring at the arrival of match point for the Bruins.

However, Fields was noticeably less excited about the prospect of USC’s first loss to UCLA since her arrival from The University of Texas last year. She went into assassin mode, delivering back-to-back kills and crushing the hearts of the Bruin faithful.

The stadium fell silent, and a block from graduate setter Emily Fitzner on the following point sealed a victory for the Trojans. The stadium cleared out swiftly, and Keller and his team were left to bask in the glory of a mammoth road win over their biggest rivals.

The victory was particularly sweet for USC after hours of taunting from a rowdy Westwood crowd. For the coaching staff, the squad’s perseverance was an important sign of growth after struggles on the road in recent years. Since 2019, the Trojans have a record of 6-14 in away games with a crowd of more than 2,000 people. With Wednesday’s win, they have now pulled off back-to-back wins in enemy territory and are beginning to embrace the villain role.

“Throughout the game, I was like, keep talking, keep talking to me, yell at me,” Fitzner said.

Despite trailing most of the night, USC remained focused and motivated. Fitzner credited the effort to a tight-knit group that wants to fight for each other. Despite the addition of several new players and the anticipation of a daunting move to the Big Ten next year, the Trojans feel their locker room is in an outstanding place.

“I have played on many teams before, but I have never felt this family atmosphere,” Wijay said. “I’m obviously pretty young, so I always feel like everybody is like my mom and helping me out. I just really enjoy playing on this team.”

Clutch play in the fourth and fifth sets will give USC an important boost heading into conference play. However, with the Pac-12 schedule heating up, the Trojans will look to improve upon a night that saw them make 36 errors and attack with just a .219 hitting percentage.

“There was a little bit more ugly volleyball tonight, but sometimes you have to try to win ugly and figure out ways to score points at the most inopportune times,” Keller said. “And we just got two more than they did tonight.”

USC will be back in action Saturday at 1:00 p.m. against Oregon State at Galen Center.