A cloudy Tuesday morning shifted into a sunny day of success for No. 4 USC beach volleyball: the Trojans (10-2) swept CSU Northridge (0-7) and took down No. 14 Stetson University (7-2), 4-1.

Returning from four consecutive wins in the Battle for Los Angeles, their most recent victories bring the Trojans to a six-game win streak.

“If you are doing your thing, you’re going to look up at the scoreboard, and you’re going to have a victory,” Head Coach Dain Blanton said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “That’s what happened.”

Trojans sweep CSUN

The No. 2 pair of sophomore Kennedy Coakley and junior Ashley Pater were the first to finish their game and continued their season-long domination, taking their match against CSUN in two sets, 21-9 and 21-9. 

Blanton said the pair — both from Florida — have played together for years, forging a close relationship that dominates on the court. 

“It’s cool to see that they are complementing each other well,” Blanton said. “It’s like poetry in motion when they are out on the court.”

Next to finish, the No. 4 duo of juniors Kaileigh Truslow and Madison Goellner went up against the Matador duo of senior Jill Rodig and junior Zaria Henderson, beginning with early ties and a close 23-21 match and ending with a Trojan sweep in the second set, 21-14.

USC’s sophomore Calinda Kok and freshman Kyra Zaengle started their day against CSUN’s junior duo Daysha Halbert and Haley Coggins, consistently finding holes in the Matadors’ defense and attaining a clean sweep, including a 21-8 second set.

Freshman Sarah Wood and junior Zoey Henson, who came into Tuesday as USC’s No. 1 pair, took half a set before they got comfortable. Once they got going, though, they demolished CSUN sophomore Hannah Heflin and junior Maleya Miles in both sets, going 21-17 and 21-13, respectively.

To finish out the duel, the No. 3 pair of senior Alana Embry and sophomore Quincy Stephens’ attacks at the net set them ahead of CSUN’s freshman Ava Rogers and sophomore Dylan Hall, ending the match in two sets. 

Blanton said in his coaching, he has encouraged an aggressive approach to the game.

“Take care of what you can control,” Blanton said. “Don’t worry about the things that are out of your control, and really put pressure on teams.”

Stetson falls to USC

Coakley and Pater jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first set against the Stetson duo of senior Maria Ozaeta and sophomore Marta Carro, and things looked to be smooth sailing. However, the rest of the match would be much more of a challenge compared to their CSUN battle: the Hatters consistently fought their way back into the match, holding the score within three. 

Coakley and Pater eventually closed out the first set, 21-17, but the match wouldn’t get any easier. The Trojan defense held its own against a strong Stetson offense, with the game tied as late as 19-19. However, the Trojans scored two straight points and closed out the sweep, finishing the weekend spotless. 

“We’re killers together, and that’s why we are often really successful out there,” Coakley said. “Our goals definitely bring us together and help us get better every day.”

USC as a whole wouldn’t leave Merle Norman Stadium without a blemish on its record, though. Embry and Stephens faced off against Stetson freshmen Anniina Muukka and Zoe Flueckiger, trading the lead multiple times. The Trojan duo had multiple great defensive plays, but Stetson consistently used the aggression of the Trojan offense against them and closed the set 24-22.

Through scrappy play and good communication, USC actually led midway through the second set, 12-9. However, smart Stetson play allowed them to retake the lead and end the set, 21-19.

Truslow and Goellner were moved to the No. 5 duo against Stetson, and their Hatter opponents went ahead early. The Trojans fought back and tied the first set at 7-7, with the help of smart serving; they took the lead thanks to constant Stetson set faults. USC didn’t let go of its momentum and took the first set, 21-15.

That consistency, paired with good court awareness, led to a second set that never left Trojan hands, leaving Truslow and Goellner with a sweep.

Wood and Henson carried their momentum against CSUN into what would be a closer match, albeit still a sweep. Their Hatter opponents of freshman EJ Cudmore and sophomore Julia Radelczuk were firing on all cylinders, but Wood and Henson were quick to respond. Wood’s defense led the way to a 21-16 win in the first set, as the duo looked to retain their No. 1 duo status.

In the second set, the Hatter offense started to learn to keep the ball away from Wood — who was having a prolific offense showing —  ​​but it didn’t matter. The Trojans closed out a 21-17 win to sweep Stetson.

Kok and Zaengle moved up to the No. 4 spot for their match against Stetson and continued their undefeated tenure this season. The first set was admittedly much closer than the duo would have preferred, with Kok swinging at any opportunity, but they finished it out 21-17.

Their second set was exemplary of the aggressive yet clean style that USC beach volleyball has shown through 12 games: a 21-8 win came from consistent, scrappy attacking and quick turnarounds from setup digs. USC ended the day with a 9-1 record in matches on the day and a six-match win streak.

“I am a firm believer that whoever is most aggressive and whoever plays the cleanest game of volleyball wins,” Coakley said. 

The Trojans have yet to lose at home and will look to continue that trend Friday at 10 a.m. against UC Berkeley (5-4).

Kai Assad contributed to this article.