The roar inside Galen Center said it all. No. 5 USC hadn’t just swept No. 2 UCLA in straight sets — they’d flipped the script. The 3-0 domination on Senior Night ended a nearly five-year, 10-match losing streak to the Trojans’ crosstown rivals and marked a turning point for a team that, just weeks ago, seemed to be watching its season slip away.

After a thrilling win over No. 8 Pepperdine (17-9, 7-5 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) in early April, USC’s (20-6, 8-4) momentum was stymied when junior outside hitter Dillon Klein was sidelined with a knee injury — a setback that sparked a four-match losing streak. 

But with Klein back on the court and the Trojans finding their rhythm at just the right time, they now enter the MPSF Tournament with renewed energy and a clear purpose.

“We got bit by the injury bug, and you could say, ‘How do we perform when we [lose] our top two point scorers?’ But at the same time, it was a vital moment to grow other players in preparation,” said Head Coach Jeff Nygaard in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “So next guy up — they had to get out there and they got great experience. You never know when that experience right there, might in playoff time, be the very thing you need to get that next point.”

With the MPSF tournament set to begin today at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, USC awaits a semifinal clash with No. 3 seed BYU (19-9, 7-5), No. 6 seed Stanford (11-14, 4-8) or No. 7 seed Menlo College (13-12, 7-5). Should the Trojans advance, a potential championship rematch with the top-seeded Bruins (20-5, 10-2) looms.

Nygaard has built a roster that combines seasoned veterans with explosive young talent, positioning the team to finish the season with 20 wins for the first time since 2022. 

“We’ve learned a lot this year. We’ve learned [as] big-game, elite-level captains, which they’ve done this whole year. We’ve been elite-level learners,” Nygaard said. “We had three, four freshmen on [the court] a couple times towards the end, and then we had our senior leaders get out there. So we’ve known that we’re able to play good volleyball and sustain good volleyball.”

Saturday night, the Trojan sweep allowed them to split their series with the Bruins, as they hit an impressive .426 as a team. 

Klein contributed 9 kills, once again coming through in key moments, while freshman outside hitter Sterling Foley had a breakout performance with 6 kills and a career-high six blocks. Sophomore setter Caleb Blanchette guided the offense with 29 assists, leading a well-balanced attack that overwhelmed UCLA and revealed the Trojans’ potential when firing on all cylinders.

The road to the MPSF championship, however, will require USC to navigate past formidable opponents. If the current seeding holds, the Trojans are expected to face BYU in the semifinals — a team they played two competitive matches against this season.

“We’ll focus on ourselves,” Klein said, “but then again, we have played both the teams we could be playing, so we’ve scouted them before. We’ll scout both teams again, and whoever chooses to win, we will be ready for.”

In its first meeting, March 7 in Provo, Utah, USC escaped with a hard-fought 3-2 win, powered by standout performances from Klein and redshirt senior opposite hitter Jack Deuchar, who finished with 23 kills. 

The following night, the Trojans delivered a strong performance in a 3-0 sweep, with Klein finishing with 17 kills on .429 hitting. BYU’s high-powered offense — led by senior outside hitters Luke Benson and Miks Ramanis — remains a serious threat, but USC’s continued improvement at the net could be a key factor in a potential rematch.

If Stanford advances to the semifinals, the Trojans would have a high-stakes chance for redemption. Earlier this month, USC suffered back-to-back losses to Stanford, exposing defensive vulnerabilities that the Trojans will need to shore up if they face the Cardinal again  Friday.

“I think that was the most we’ve been challenged this entire year,” Blanchette said. “Being challenged like that taught us new lessons, and those lessons we can take for the rest of the year because the rest of the year we’re only going to have hard games.”

What makes Stanford particularly dangerous is its balanced offensive attack and poise in high-pressure moments. Junior outside hitter Theo Snoey has emerged as one of the Cardinal’s most dynamic players, averaging 3.78 kills per set with a .358 hitting percentage in Stanford’s two matches against USC. 

The Cardinal’s offense is further bolstered by junior opposite hitter Moses Wagner, a reliable second option who hit .395 in the team’s second meeting. At the center of it all is junior setter Theoren Brouillette, who tallied 112 assists across the two matches. His ability to consistently put his hitters in strong attacking positions makes Stanford’s offense difficult to contain.

The potential USC-Stanford semifinal would likely come down to which team can better execute in critical moments. In the April meetings, Stanford was extremely clutch, especially during moments such as the extended 31-29 fourth set during the team’s second meeting. 

A wild-card scenario could see USC facing Menlo for the first time this season if the seventh-seeded Oaks pull off back-to-back upset wins over Stanford and BYU. While the Trojans would be heavy favorites on paper, tournament volleyball often brings unexpected twists. 

The keys to USC’s tournament success are straightforward. First, the Trojans need to tighten up their serve-receive game. Service errors have plagued the Trojans all season, as they have committed 345 to this point — a trend that cannot continue in the postseason.

USC will also need Klein to continue to step up as the team’s primary scorer. The Trojans will need Klein to be consistent in clutch moments to beat the top squads they will be facing. USC’s blocking game will also need to continue to assert itself. With middle blockers graduate student Guy Genis and freshman Parker Tomkinson averaging over two blocks per set combined, the Trojans have the defensive presence to disrupt opposing attacks and generate transition points.

“We had a lot of guys that were injured, and it was tough, but I think that now everyone is very hungry to play again, and everyone is very hungry to win,” Blanchette said. “That four-game losing streak was good for us because it gave us a drive to want to win.”

USC will take on BYU, Stanford or Menlo in the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament on Friday at 8 p.m. at Firestone Fieldhouse. If the Trojans come through, the championship game — potentially a rematch with UCLA — would be Saturday at 7:30 p.m.