As May came to an end, so did USC’s spring sports. Conference tournaments and the NCAA championship brought the Trojans face to face with the pinnacle of collegiate sports. Some of USC’s most decorated programs sought a return to glory once again, while others fought to establish themselves in the Big Ten Conference. Whether it was a return to postseason, early eliminations or crushing title games, the Trojans fought to the end to close out their seasons.

Water Polo

Women’s water polo made it back to the NCAA championship match after a disappointing first-round loss last year. After dispatching Harvard (26-7) in an 18-7 tilt and the No. 2 seed UCLA (20-6) in a 15-13 semifinal win, the Trojans made it to the final once again. However, they were ultimately unable to overcome the challenge of the first-seeded Stanford.

In a 7-11 loss, USC fell against Stanford in its fourth straight postseason loss to the Cardinal. Despite an even 6-6 first half, the Cardinal took the match with a four-goal explosion in the final frame and held USC to one goal in the second half. Redshirt senior center Tilly Kearns closed her Trojan career with a goal in the second frame of the match, exiting as the third most prolific scorer in program history.

The Trojans finished with a 29-5 record this season. Kearns earned her third First Team All-America selection after ending the season with 100 goals and 24 assists. Despite this season marking the end of her time at USC, the Trojans can look forward to a bright future. Freshman attacker Emily Ausmus earned a First Team All-America selection after a record-breaking first year at USC.

Ausmus, a 2024 Olympian, led the team with a program record of 114 goals, along with 55 assists and 46 steals. Sophomore attackers Ava Stryker and Meghan McAninch, and junior attacker Maggie Johnson rounded out USC’s top five scorers of the season. The Trojans are losing one of their most impactful veterans in Kearns, but this year proved they can rely on their young players, who go into next season knowing what it takes to compete in the title game.

Beach Volleyball

The Trojans entered 2025 with fresh faces and expecting greatness. The legacy of four consecutive national titles and the continued leadership of Head Coach Dain Blanton, who led them to all four, left a myriad of expectations for the team. However, the road back to the title proved harder this time around. The loss of significant stars left a usually dominant program short of success. After four straight seasons never having more than five losses on the season, USC ended the year with a 27-11 record, its worst since 2018.

After defeating the No. 12 seed North Florida in the opening round, USC ended its season with a quarterfinal loss against No. 4 Loyola Marymount (38-7), the eventual runners-up in the NCAA championship. In a 1-3 loss to the Lions, junior Delaney Karl and graduate Ella Larkin were the only pair to come away with a point for USC.

Karl and Larkin ended the season with a 16-4 record. In an impressive season, freshman Kennedy Coakley and sophomore Ashley Pater boasted a 28-4 record. Meanwhile, USC’s top pair of sophomore Zoey Henson and junior Madison White ended with a 23-12 record, encapsulating the struggle the pair faced during the season. Under the continued tutelage of Blanton and the experience gained by the youngest Trojans, USC should not be counted out from making another run for the NCAA championship next year.

Baseball

It’s been ten years since the Trojans were in the postseason, and their return started with a bang. In the Corvallis Regional, USC (37-23) started its postseason against No. 22 TCU (39-20). The Trojans beat the Horned Frogs in a 13-1 game, where senior pitcher Caden Aoki pitched eight innings and only had one earned run, allowing four hits. Backing up Aoki’s impressive performance on the mound, the Trojans mounted an offensive explosion with 13 runs on 14 hits. Sophomore infielder Adrian Lopez led the Trojans with 3 RBI on the way to their blowout.

The Trojans continued their postseason run against Saint Mary’s College of California the following day. Junior pitcher and infielder Ethan Hedges’ two home runs helped power USC to a 6-4 victory, though back-to-back losses against No. 8 Oregon State crushed the Trojans’ hope of winning the bracket and marked the end of their season.

Lacrosse

USC (10-7) ended a rough season on a low note. In their thirteenth season under Head Coach Lindsey Munday, the Trojans failed to make an impression in their first Big Ten Tournament appearance. USC ended the year with a 9-20 loss to the third-seeded Michigan (13-7) in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

Four goals by senior attacker Maddie Dora led the Trojans to a 4-4 first period against the Wolverines. However, USC’s offense was unable to match Michigan’s for the rest of the match. Senior attacker Jill Smith led the Wolverines with eight goals, three coming in the seven-goal second period that allowed Michigan to pull away from the Trojans. Despite rotating all three goalkeepers throughout the match, the Trojans had no response for Michigan’s offense and goals continued to pour.

USC’s goalkeepers struggled throughout the season, ending with an 11 GAA on the season all together. Dora was the Trojans’ leading goal scorer with 64. Redshirt senior attacker Isabelle Vitale led the team in points with 30 goals and 45 assists.