Over the weekend, No. 16 women’s volleyball shone at the long-held Trojan Invitational, picking up three wins in front of a Galen Center crowd. Although they didn’t host the invite in 2024, an underclassmen-heavy squad looked more than experienced, taking down UC Santa Barbara, the University of San Diego and then-No. 13 Creighton University.

Adding their opening wins against the University of Denver (4-1) and Loyola Marymount University (0-4), the Trojans have started their season 5-0 for the first time since 2015 and for the first time under Head Coach Brad Keller.

“We’re just always in the fight right now, and that’s a fun place to be in,” Keller said in a postgame interview.

Freshmen lead the way in opening win

USC started the three-series journey with a 3-2 set win over UC Santa Barbara (3-2). The Trojans won the first set 25-21, highlighted by six kills from freshman opposite hitter Abigail Mullen and 12 assists from freshman setter Reese Messer, but then lost out in back-to-back sets to fall to a 2-1 series score. 

Star Gaucho outside hitter Eva Travis had 10 kills through three sets en route to a 21-kill performance, but Mullen’s seven kills and Messer’s 12 assists in set four forced a final set, which USC won 15-13.

Mullen and Messer’s respective totals of 22 kills and 47 assists were both season highs for the Trojans, but they weren’t the only contributors. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter London Wijay and redshirt freshman outside hitter Brooklyn Tealer both reached nine kills, while freshman libero Taylor Deckert notched her first collegiate start and racked up 16 digs on the way, the most out of any Trojan.

Overall, the Trojans led the Gauchos in hitting percentage, kills and blocks, but they also had six more service errors. The win was USC’s sixth in a row against UCSB, a streak dating back to 1996, but it took all five sets to get there for the first time this season. 

“We went through a lot today. I didn’t think it was wonderful or beautiful, but I thought it was necessary,” Keller said in a post-game press conference. “At the end of the day, we came to get through those situations and get past that round, and we did.”

Back-and-forth battle comes down to the wire

USC’s Saturday matchup against the San Diego Toreros (3-3) was another hard-fought struggle. The Trojans went a full five sets on back-to-back nights for the first time since 2018, and won tie-break sets on consecutive nights for the first time since 2002.

The opening set saw an unusually poor performance from the Trojans. After USC tied the set at 4-4, San Diego won 10 consecutive points and never let go, ending the first set at 25-15. Keller jokingly credited their performance to the fact that he turned in the wrong lineup card, something he said he’d never done in his 20 years of coaching.

USC would fight back in the following sets, though, with Wijay and redshirt junior outside hitter Adonia Faumuina taking the offensive lead. Through the third set, the duo had 10 and 12 kills respectively, with Wijay notching her first double-double of the season by adding 10 digs.

The fourth set was the closest of the entire weekend, with the two teams tying scores 14 times, the most out of any set for USC during the invitational. However, the Trojans’ struggle with service errors ultimately did them in: They had eight just during the fourth set, their most in a single set during the weekend. They also lead the Big Ten in service errors.

“We don’t want to miss serves, but we don’t want to serve easy,” Keller said in a postgame press conference. “[Our] passing is usually pretty good, and serving catches up to it over the course of time. So I think that we need to be patient with this. At the end of the game, it went in our favor, honestly.”

The final set started jumpy, with Messer stopping the game momentarily after an awkward landing. That uneasy feeling continued late into the game, as the Trojans reached the brink of defeat down 11-14; however, they erupted for a 5-point run, eventually winning the game. 

Across the invitational, USC demonstrated a propensity for making late-game comebacks; the win over San Diego was no different. Thanks to four different Trojans notching 10 or more kills, USC is now 10-4 all-time against the Toreros, having won the last two series.

Trojans finish 3-0 weekend with sweep

The Sunday matinée against the Creighton Bluejays (3-3) would be the first time this season that the Trojans would play a ranked opponent. It would also be the first and only sweep of the Trojan Invitational. 

The Trojans were consistently fighting an uphill battle throughout the first set. The Bluejays were up by at least 2 points for much of the set, even breaking a 20-20 tie with 3 consecutive points, two of which came on Trojan serving errors. However, two Creighton attack errors would propel the Trojans into scoring 5 straight points to take the set, recalling shades of the San Diego comeback.

That heart-pounding tendency would follow the Trojans into the next set, which featured several more tied scores and lead changes. Whereas a Mullen service error tied it up at 20-20 last set, a Mullen kill tied it there this time. After Creighton took a 20-22 lead, an ace from Mullen and four different attack errors from Creighton’s star outside hitter Ava Martin ended the second set at 25-22. 

One might have expected the third set to be another back-breaker, but USC had other plans. In their most dominant show all tournament, the Trojans established a lead early on and kept their foot on the Bluejays’ necks the whole way through. 

From a 10-7 score, the Trojans ripped 8 points to double Creighton’s 4; they held that momentum the entire way for a 25-16 win, ending the game in only an hour. USC now holds a 7-4 all-time record against the Bluejays, breaking a four-loss streak against Creighton with the win.

“We had a talk before the third set [about] not being willing to give up and not willing to let our foot off the gas,” Wijay said. “I think we wouldn’t be okay with going to four. Our team really wanted to push the pressure on them and just continue to play our game, and we knew we had more to give.”

Following the final game, Mullen, Messer and Wijay were named to the 2025 All-Tournament Team, with Mullen being named the Most Outstanding Player. With the majority of the team’s core being freshmen and sophomores — including the three All-Tournament players — the Trojans appear to be primed for success for years to come. 

Next up, USC will face off against No. 19 BYU (6-0) and Western Michigan University (1-6) at LMU’s Gersten Pavilion for the LMU Invitational.

“I just think we’re ready for any battle that we face, as long as we stick together and just play the volleyball that we know how to play and believe in each other,” Mullen said.