As Head Coach Brad Keller and the Trojans go deeper into their debut Big Ten season, one thing is clear: USC was well-prepared for the caliber of play in its new conference. The Trojans have been able to consistently beat well-established teams in their first campaign, despite worries from critics and fans about the difficulties a Big Ten schedule poses.

However, with its most recent loss against No. 11 Oregon (14-3, 6-2 Big Ten), as well as previous defeats at the hands of No. 2 Nebraska (18-1, 8-0) and No. 1 Pittsburgh (17-1, 7-1), volleyball has a long way to climb to reach the upper echelon of the Big Ten.

No. 16 USC (14-4, 6-2), swept both of its East Coast opponents over the weekend, dismantling conference rivals Rutgers (5-14, 0-8) and Maryland (10-9, 1-7) in straight sets.

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Hard-fought wins against Ohio State (8-10, 1-7) and Michigan (15-4, 5-3) in previous weeks have also defined the Trojan’s tenure in the Big Ten so far as gritty, determined and motivated against big-time opponents.

“We were, and are pretty prepared for what [the caliber of Big Ten play] is. This is not a shock,” Keller said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “It’s not really that big of a deal if you are mentally prepared for these things. So we’ve been prepared physically and mentally.”

In this week’s matchups, the Trojans will host two Big Ten foes at Galen Center, first taking on Michigan State (7-12, 0-8 Big Ten) before a crucial battle with No. 3 Penn State (18-1, 8-0).

The Spartans have lost all eight of their Big Ten matchups this season, the last of which came at home against Washington (14-4, 4-4). The Spartans won just one set against the Huskies, coming off of a brutal sweep at the hands of Nebraska.

So Michigan State will be looking for its first Big Ten win in Los Angeles this weekend, taking on the Trojans on Thursday before heading to Westwood to take on UCLA on Saturday.

Historically, the Trojans have dominated against Michigan State, winning seven out of the eight matches the two teams have played previously. Their last meeting in 2010 ended in a 3-0 sweep for USC.

For Michigan State, junior outside hitter Akasha Anderson leads the team offensively, racking up 203 kills and 15 service aces so far this season. A transfer from Auburn, Anderson recorded 18 kills in the Spartans’ loss against Washington on Sunday.

On the Trojans’ side, graduate outside hitter Ally Batenhorst has been lethal for USC in her debut season. Batenhorst, a transfer from Nebraska, leads the team in kills with 255, recording 3.70 kills per set.

Running alongside Batenhorst, senior setter Mia Tuaniga leads the team in service aces with 27, as well as 680 assists. Coming off of the Trojans’ win against Rutgers, Tuaniga is only 11 assists away from her 4000th assist at USC, a milestone that only three other Trojans have reached in program history.

With two games this weekend that she is slated to start, Tuaniga is extremely likely to reach this milestone, cementing her place within USC volleyball’s history books.

Another key piece for Keller is redshirt junior middle blocker Tyrah Ariail, who leads the team in blocks, recording 66 in total, six of them solo.

“Tyrah, Mia and Ally are kind of the leaders of this. They’ve been very good, very consistent, very patient,” Keller said. “You have to have good trust, communication and love within your walls before you go out and battle. I think we have that, and I think it’s in large part due to our leadership.”

In another home matchup, volleyball will take on the No. 3 Nittany Lions on Saturday at Galen Center.

Within the Trojans’ 2024 season, Keller’s squad has only won one out of its four matchups with higher-ranked Big Ten opposition, with its only win coming via its 3-1 victory over No. 15 Minnesota (12-6, 5-3).

After being swept by No. 1 Pittsburgh, No. 2 Nebraska and No. 11 Oregon, the Trojans have a lot to prove if they want to demonstrate that they can hang with the Big Ten higher-ups.

Penn State has been undefeated this season in conference play, falling just once to the Panthers in a non-conference tournament game.

Offensively for Penn State, graduate outside hitter Jess Mruzik is currently ranked fifth in the Big Ten for kills, coming in at 288 for the season. Her season high in kills came against Ohio State when Mruzik put down 29 kills and scored 31 points for the team.

Mruzik, a transfer from Michigan, has also added 12 solo blocks for the Nittany Lions this season.

“The real answer to [how to prepare for hard matches] is how you train your behaviors. You can say things, you can watch visually, you can prepare in certain manners,” said Keller. “But if you’re actually training the game and if it matches what you’re going to deal with, it’s like prepping for a test. If you actually prepare the right way, then there is not a lot of shock that occurs during the match.”

Volleyball hopes to prove itself against Big Ten opponents this weekend at the Galen Center, playing Michigan State on Thursday at 8 p.m. and No. 3 Penn State on Saturday at 8 p.m.