USC failed to extend its winning run to five games as the team fell to Washington State Sunday. This is the Trojans’ first loss since falling to the Colorado Buffaloes Oct. 27 and their first loss to a ranked team since losing to Stanford Oct. 13.

The Trojans (17-9, 11-5 Pac-12) started the match blazing, winning two consecutive sets 25-15, 25-16. However, the lead slowly started to slip away for USC as Washington State (20-7, 10-6) forced a fourth set to be played, in which the Cougars were able to beat out the Trojans in a tightly contested 27-25 set. The momentum seemed to be carried until the match’s conclusion as Washington State completed the reverse sweep over the Trojans at Bohler Gym.

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“[We] obviously started off really strong today in the first two sets, but we let the other team get away with a little bit of momentum,” said sophomore libero Gala Trubint. “Regardless, we are going into every single point with 100% of our effort because every team is talented.”

Throughout the course of Sunday’s outing, the Cougars notched more kills, attempts, points, aces and blocks than the Trojans, who recorded fewer errors and more assists throughout the contest. Washington State was also better on the defensive side; the team recorded 67 digs compared to the Trojans’ 57 during Sunday’s loss. USC was more efficient in its hitting, recording a .338% hit rate compared to the Cougars’ .263 percent hitting efficiency.

Despite the loss, senior outside hitter Skylar Fields notched a career-high 29 kills in a match where she recorded her 34th game with more than 20 kills in a match as a Trojan. Furthermore, Trubint accomplished a season-high 22 digs, her 13th game with more than 20 digs during her career with the Trojans.

In their all-time meetings, the Trojans still hold the advantage over the Cougars as USC lost its 20th match all-time against Washington State in 73 meetings. Furthermore, the Trojans lost their third match that went the distance to five sets this season.

“[I am] really disappointed with the outcome of the match today but really pleased with our effort and our competitive spirit this entire weekend,” said Head Coach Brad Keller during his post-match press conference. “We are seeing an increase in our level of performance, and that gives me a lot of hope coming down the stretch at the end of the season.”

The game against Washington State on Sunday was followed by a game that went different for the Trojans as they swept Washington (14-13, 5-11) on Friday at Alaska Airlines Arena.

In their first game this season as a ranked team, the Trojans clinched their seventh sweeping victory this year as they swept the Huskies away from home for the first time since the 2011 season. In addition, USC notched its 45th all-time victory against Washington and clinched a three-set win over the Huskies since 2019.

USC will hope to return to winning as it heads home at Galen Center to face UC Berkeley (15-12, 4-12) Friday at 7 p.m.