USC women’s volleyball has found its rhythm. After dropping four of their first five games, the Trojans extended their win streak to seven games in their three-set sweep of Oregon State Sunday afternoon at Galen Center.

The Trojans (8-4, 2-0 Pac-12) never faltered in a dominant display, winning 25-11, 25-19, 25-16. The team was efficient in its play, posting a .478 hitting percentage — the highest they’ve hit under Head Coach Brad Keller. The Trojans also only had eight errors on the day, the least amount they’ve had in a game since 2021.

“Just getting that confidence and knowing that we can play clean volleyball throughout an entire match is really going to help us,” said senior outside hitter Skylar Fields. 

Fields led the way for USC with 18 kills and a .581 hitting percentage on the afternoon. Fields and junior setter Mia Tuaniga had lots of chemistry throughout the match, with Tuaniga setting up Fields multiple times. Tuaniga added 42 assists in the winning effort.

“Everyone just has a lot of trust in me, and I have a lot of trust in my passers and my hitters, so really, they make my job easier,” Tuaniga said. “I know my team expects a lot from me, and I expect a lot for myself, so I just want to deliver for them.”

The Trojans came out of the gates hot and scored six of the game’s first seven points. The Beavers weren’t able to get anything going, and USC took advantage of that. But in the second set, The Trojans seemed to get complacent, falling down 15-10 midway through.

USC turned it on and outscored Oregon State 15-4 the rest of the way to take the commanding 2-0 set lead. A similar trend developed in the third set, with the game deadlocked at 10-10. USC was once again able to force the effort and outscore the Beavers 15-6 the rest of the way to clinch the win.

In easily the longest rally of the day, Oregon State was looking for an easy kill down 19-12 in the final set. But Fields rose up to get a block assist on the Beavers’ error, exclaiming ferociously after the point. 

After the game, Keller talked about how he was pleased with how the team performed.

“I told my staff that we’re starting to play this cleaner volleyball in general and you hear it, the touches are getting cleaner,” Keller said. “We have a long way to go, but I think we’re starting to see the athleticism come through combined with the ability to play the game the right way.”

Given USC’s history against the Beavers at Galen Center, this should have come as no surprise. This was the Trojans’ 25th straight win at home against Oregon State, with their last loss coming back in 1996. USC has won all four of its home games this season and 18 of its past 20 dating back to last season.

“Anytime you get home cooking, and get a couple hours of sleep, it’s more comfortable for us [at Galen],” Keller said. “I think it’s a huge advantage, it’s a big deal.”

The competition will only get harder for the Trojans, with the brunt of their Pac-12 schedule still left to go. There are three Pac-12 teams ranked in the top 10 in the most recent AVCA rankings. USC is tied for first in the conference with a perfect 2-0 record, along with Arizona State, Washington State, Stanford and Oregon.

The Trojans will get a taste for plenty more Pac-12 action in the coming week as they prepare to host Utah Friday at 7 p.m. and Colorado Sunday at 1 p.m.