The sting of a loss to one’s bitter rival is never easy to overcome, especially when victory slips away in the fifth set of a hard-fought, back-and-forth match. But as the No. 5 USC men’s volleyball team filed out of Galen Center on Tuesday night, the prevailing sentiment wasn’t one of defeat, but of resilience. 

Despite falling to No. 1 UCLA (15-0, 4-0 MPSF), the Trojans (8-2, 1-1) proved they belong in the conversation with the nation’s best, pushing the undefeated Bruins to the brink before ultimately coming up short in the final set, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 28-30, 9-15.

“Obviously not the result we want, but still proud of the effort, proud of the competitiveness,” Head Coach Jeff Nygaard said in a postgame news conference. “We were grinding, we were playing, we were battling … We created a ton of opportunities that we just need to work on converting a little bit higher, a little bit better.”

Klein leads offense in up-and-down affair

USC outperformed the Bruins defensively, racking up more blocks, digs and service aces across a back-and-forth night.

Leading the charge was star senior outside hitter Dillon Klein, who delivered a performance for the ages. Klein torched UCLA’s defense for a match-high 25 kills on 48 attempts, hitting .333 to go with five digs, three blocks and two aces. 

But Klein was far from a solo act. 

Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Wesley Smith was immaculate at the net, posting a season-high .786 hitting percentage with 11 kills on 14 errorless attempts. Smith added a career-high eight blocks, good for a total of 16 points, anchoring a front line that frustrated the Bruins all night.

Nygaard said the team’s depth, which includes five returning American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Americans, raises the level of competition in practice and helps USC prepare for tight matches against formidable opponents.

“What we see in the gym every single day, we benefit from. We’ve got a long way to go, and to grow,” Nygaard said. “We know that these tough games are going to be 25-23, 24-26, and every ball matters, every point matters, every touch matters.”

The Trojans opened strong, claiming the first set 25-21 behind five kills from Klein. Sophomore libero Johnny Dykstra was a vacuum in the back row, racking up six digs in the opening frame alone and helping hold the high-powered Bruins to a .176 hitting percentage. 

UCLA answered in a chaotic second set that featured 15 ties and six lead changes, edging USC out 25-23. But the Trojans regained momentum in the third, using an 11-tie, six-lead change slugfest to secure a 25-22 victory. Klein erupted for seven kills on nine swings, and sophomore outside hitter Sterling Foley delivered a pair of aces during a crucial run as USC hit a blistering .500 as a team during the thrilling third set.

The fourth set was a microcosm of the match’s intensity. Down by as many as six points, the Trojans stormed back, staving off elimination and earning a match point at 28-27. However, the Bruins scored the final three points to snatch a 30-28 win and force a decisive fifth set.

The late fourth-set run for UCLA would prove decisive to the game’s outcome, as the Bruins jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the fifth set and never looked back, closing the door with a 15-9 victory.

“We just came out a little flat. We let them rally a few points off the bat, they went up … and we just weren’t able to side out right there,” Smith said in a postgame news conference. “Getting up early in the fifth is really important.”

‘Iron sharpening iron’

Dykstra finished with a career-high 19 digs, his first double-digit performance of the season. He attributed his breakout night to the team’s defensive system.

“Credit to our block and our defense,” Dykstra said in a postgame news conference. “It makes my whole life easier when I’ve got my outsides in the seams who have my back in reception, and then I’ve got the block to feed me easy digs.”

Foley totaled 11 points with five kills and a season-high four aces, while junior setter Caleb Blanchette recorded 49 assists, eight digs and two kills. Nygaard said the team’s abundance of stars continue to push each other to improve.

“It just makes the competition day to day that much higher,” Nygaard said. “Iron sharpening iron. If you’ve got that much depth, that means that every single day, guys have to show up to compete against that, to earn roles, to earn opportunities, to hone their craft.”

The Trojans held UCLA, a team averaging a near-.400 hitting percentage on the season, to just .299. 

The Bruins were led by sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly, who posted a career-high 21 kills on .562 hitting. Senior outside hitter Zach Rama added 15 kills, while redshirt junior opposite David Decker chipped in 11.

The Trojans don’t have to wait long to see those faces again. USC is set to travel across town to Pauley Pavilion on Friday for a 7 p.m. rematch with the Bruins.

“We’re motivated. We’re fine,” Nygaard said. “We got another chance on Friday. We’re competitors. We’re going to be ready. We’re going to go battle. We’re going to go work hard and go for that W. That’s just the resilience that our team talks about.”