In a weekend full of volleyball, the Trojans faced two teams, playing Ohio State Friday and then turning around to play Nebraska Sunday. USC split wins and losses, beating Ohio State in a five-set thriller before falling to Nebraska on the road in three straight sets.

On Friday night at Galen Center, the No. 21 Trojans (9-3, 1-1 Big Ten) warmed up to “California Love” before squaring up to face the Buckeyes (7-5, 0-2 Big Ten). Unlike the lyrics of the song, the Trojans battled hard and offered no mercy upon welcoming the Buckeyes to the West Coast. The atmosphere was buzzing; USC was on a five-game win streak and wanted to extend the trend into conference play. 

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Ohio State started the set, scoring four straight points before USC could answer. When the Trojans finally responded, the set remained tight with four lead changes.

Redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Adonia Faumuina was the Trojans’ first set standout. Faumuina recorded four blocks, three kills and three digs to start. Redshirt junior middle blocker Tyrah Ariail also added four blocks of her own. 

After missing her sophomore season due to injury, Faumuina is getting back into the swing of things on the court, while many of her teammates face injuries of their own. Freshman outside hitter Jadyn Livings missed practice due to an injured finger and junior libero Gala Trubint just returned to play after being treated for a concussion. Sophomore hitter London Wijay is still out as well.

“We’ve not had our squad in here. In order to really get a kind of a rhythm and a vibe that matters, you have got to be around each other and train at that level,” said Head Coach Brad Keller in a post-game press conference. “We’ve not been able to be healthy enough at this stage, and we’re still able to do what we’re doing, so that’s a net positive.” 

Ohio State went on to win the set 25-19 with Buckeye graduate student Emily Londot’s six kills and two aces. Londot, a standout for the Buckeyes, would finish the game with nine more kills, bringing her overall offensive contribution to 15 kills and two aces. 

This slow start was similar to the Trojans’ last game against UC San Diego (7-6, 1-1 Big West), in which USC went a set down before eventually winning the game 3-1. However, according to Keller, the starts were different against each team. 

“Ohio State outplayed us in the first set and so, that’s a different thing. I didn’t think that UCSD outplayed us in the first set,” Keller said.“That’s not anything at UCSD, I just felt like we gave [UCSD] a lot of opportunities. I thought Ohio State came in here and just took it to us.”

After a quick T-shirt toss during the break, the second set began, with USC coming in hot and scoring three points in the opening drive. The Trojans remained dominant in the set, staying ahead for its entirety. Four kills from Livings and a superb ace from senior setter Mia Tuaniga locked down the set for the Trojans, 25-21. 

USC fed off of this momentum going into the third set, winning 25-20. The Buckeyes did tie the score thrice, but the Trojans remained in the lead for the majority of the set. Graduate outside hitter Ally Batenhorst recorded five kills during the set. She went on to have the most kills of the game, with 15 total, to go alongside eight digs and five blocks. 

While USC tried to keep mounting pressure against what seemed to be a fading Ohio State offense, the Buckeyes came out swinging in the fourth set, starting with three straight points. The Trojans tied the game at 12-12, and even took the lead with an insane Batenhorst kill, but the Buckeyes would not back down and won the set 25-20.

“They responded again in the fourth. I mean, [Ohio State] came back and they were desperate, clawing and scratching for points. We had tied them twice, and they just said no,” Keller said.

USC capped off the climactic five set finish with a 15-13 victory. Tuaniga ended the stats sheet with the most assists, recording 39. She also had 12 digs, yielding her 33rd career double-double. 

The win was definitely a motivating factor for the Trojans going into their Sunday matchup against No. 2 Nebraska (12-1, 2-0 Big Ten). The Cornhuskers went 33-2 in 2023 and were runners-up in the NCAA tournament, losing only to Texas (28-4, 17-1 Big 12) in the final. 

“At the end of the day, when the whistle blows, it’s play ball. I want to get to that space, and that’s what we’re going to get to,” Keller said. “The good news about it is you beat them, learn from it. Lose [to] them, you learn from it, but you figure out where [you] need to be.”

The Cornhuskers beat USC in straight sets at the Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. The first set was one-sided at the beginning, with Nebraska posting big runs until match point at 24-12. The Trojans went on a six-point run, but eventually fell short 25-18. 

USC started the second set with a 4-1 run, but the Huskers continued to chase, with the score eventually settling to 14-13 Trojans. USC’s lead continued until Nebraska sophomore outside hitter Harper Murray’s kill put the Huskers up by one, 19-18. Nebraska continued on its run, ending the set 25-22.

Finally, while USC started the third set up 7-6, the Huskers took the lead after a block by junior middle blocker Rebekah Allick. The Huskers continued this momentum and eventually won the set 25-16, adding another win to their blossoming win column.

Batenhorst, a former Cornhusker herself, led the Trojans offensively with 13 kills in her return to Lincoln, even with the loss. 

As for USC’s future in the Big Ten, the team wants to focus on creating their own playstyle and owning it, even against big teams like Nebraska and Ohio State.

“We’re really focused on our side. Everything we do in our gym, everything we prep for right now, it’s about us,” Tuaniga said in a press conference after playing Ohio State. “How do we play like us?”

Volleyball plays its next game against Michigan (12-1, 2-0 Big Ten) at Galen Center Friday.