After two tightly contested five-set matches at Galen Center against its last two opponents, No. 4 USC looked like it was on its way to its third back-and-forth in as many games. However, on Saturday night, after a close first two sets, the Trojans were able to convincingly pull away from No. 15 UC Santa Barbara in a sweep.  

A first set that saw eight tie-scores had USC (7-0, 1-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Conference) move ahead after an attack error gave it a 15-14 lead. The Trojans would not relinquish the lead again, with the end of the first set epitomizing what went awry for the Gauchos. 

USC had three more kills beyond that point in the first set from three outside hitters: sophomore Sterling Foley, redshirt junior Noah Roberts and senior Dillon Klein. However, it was UCSB’s (6-4) own mistake that put a dagger in the heart of their set. Nine attack errors and six service errors by the Gauchos sealed the set at 25-21 for the Trojans. 

Those constant mistakes led to the Gauchos ending the night with a 0.100 hitting performance, the second-lowest USC has allowed this season and UCSB’s second-worst of the year. A dominant performance at the net by the Trojans and standout offensive performances by Roberts and Klein paved the way for the Trojans to close the match in three sets for their first sweep over a ranked opponent. 

Trojan duo leads the way

USC faced early adversity, as Foley, who has the fourth-most kills on the team, injured his hand late in the first set and did not return to the match. However, the Trojans put their depth on display as junior outside hitter Kahale Clini stepped into the match to replace him, contributing five digs, three kills and one service ace. 

“The benefits of having a lot of guys buying in, working hard and the depth of the bench is that if one guy goes down, next man up,” said Head Coach Jeff Nygaard. “That’s something that we talked about in training, and we have absolute trust in the guys on the bench.”

Despite having a key offensive contributor out, the Trojan offense progressively improved as the game went on. Led by Roberts and Klein, USC’s offense was efficient, totaling 13 kills in each of the last two sets on a 0.304 clip in the second set and an efficient 0.455 in the third. 

After only putting up two kills in the first set, Klein looked like his signature self in sets two and three, putting up a four-kill second set and an impressive six-kill third set to lead the Trojan attack while putting up four digs and three blocks. Meanwhile, Roberts ended the night with 10 kills, five digs and two blocks. 

“Having those two on separate pins at any time, I can go to either one of them,” said junior setter Caleb Blanchette. “I have a ton of trust in both of them.” 

The Gauchos had offensive firepower of their own with sophomore outside hitter Riggs Guy racking up 11 kills. In a second set where USC led nearly the entire time, Guy’s five kills helped propel UCSB to a late 23-23 tie. However, self-imposed Gaucho errors once again cost them, as a service error and attack error sealed the set for the Trojans at 25-23. 

Big night at the net

UCSB’s unforced mistakes would haunt it throughout the match, but the Trojans’ dominance at the net also stifled the Gaucho attack. UCSB was heavily outmatched at the net, with only three total team blocks to USC’s 13.5, which is its second highest this season and the Trojans’ highest in a sweep this year. 

Sophomore middle blocker Parker Tomkinson led the Trojans with eight total blocks, tying his career high. In his third match of the season, after missing several early matches with back issues, Tomkinson continued his dominant performance after leading the Trojans in blocks as a freshman. 

He and junior Wesley Smith combined for a one-two punch down the middle; Smith sealed the match with a block to finish the night with five total blocks. However, according to Blanchette, their presence does more than quash offenses at the net. 

“Other teams, they’re just constantly thinking about these two seven-footers coming right down the middle of the court,” Blanchette said. “That opens up everything else around and guys … can all just go and do their thing.”

Off the back of Tomkinson’s efforts, the Trojans led the nation in blocks per set at the end of the 2025 season, but his absence has been felt as the Trojans currently sit just 13th. In Tomkinson’s first full match of the season, the Trojans had their highest blocks per set of the season. 

“I was able to play three sets on Wednesday and then it was really nice to be able to finish one out today,” Tomkinson said. 

The Trojans are now set to face their toughest stretch of the season so far. With two upcoming matches against No. 5 UC Irvine — its highest-ranked opponent yet — USC will face a team it has not beaten since 2024. The Trojans will be back in action on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Bren Events Center.