After falling to crosstown rival No. 1 UCLA in a five-set thriller Tuesday, No. 5 USC men’s volleyball didn’t have to wait long for an opportunity for revenge, as the Trojans traveled to Westwood just three days later for a Friday night rematch.

While USC (8-3, 1-2 MPSF) kept it close early on, it fell short of revenge against its undefeated rival. The Trojans couldn’t build on their momentum obtained in a set-two victory, allowing the Bruins (16-0, 5-0) to cruise to a win, 25-22, 23-25, 25-15, 25-19. 

“We were where we wanted to be for [set] two, but then [set] three got away from us, and we just never recovered,” Head Coach Jeff Nygaard said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “We learned a lot from these two competitions, of who we are and where we are at [and] what we need to do to get to where we want to be.”

Overall, USC committed 20 attack errors while UCLA made just 11. The Bruins remained a force from the service line, dishing out nine aces compared to only two aces from the Trojans. UCLA also significantly out-blocked USC overall, totaling 9.5 to USC’s four.

Trojans, Bruins trade early sets

The first set opened with a back-and-forth from both teams, keeping the score tied early, until UCLA pushed to a two-point lead at 14-12 and never looked back. 

USC’s leading scorer, senior outside hitter Dillon Klein, had a relatively slow performance compared to Tuesday’s bout with the Bruins, only dishing 16 kills as opposed to his match-high 25 on Tuesday. Klein had just 4 kills in set one, but the Trojans found some relief in sophomore outside hitter Sterling Foley and redshirt junior outside hitter Noah Roberts, who combined for nine kills. 

For the Bruins, senior outside hitter Zach Rama and sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly served as offensive weapons throughout the night — Rama delivered an offensive masterclass with 19 kills, while Kelly had 17 to go along with six digs and two aces. 

USC did not go down without a fight in set two. The Trojans increased their defensive presence at the net with three blocks in the second set and added an ace of their own from behind the service line to bring the score to set point, eventually tying the match at 1-1. 

Throughout the match, Nygaard’s squad looked for relief among different players off the bench. Freshman outside hitter Cooper Keane earned three kills of his own, hitting an even .500, while freshman setter Andrew Chapin stepped in and recorded four assists. 

“I really enjoyed putting Cooper Keane … out there and just seeing him go out and just hammer some balls. Andrew Chapin went in and made an impact,” Nygaard said. “There’s guys that can go in and just give us value right out of the gate.”

‘We just never recovered’

Coming out of the break, the Bruins rallied to an early 8-4 lead to open the third set and bring the momentum back to their side. UCLA tabbed two more aces on USC to maintain their lead, while Foley earned three more kills in an attempt to help the Trojans come back. 

Despite USC’s efforts to even the score, an out-of-rotation call would prove to be fatal for the Trojans: After some discussion between Nygaard and the officials, USC was called on the error while sophomore opposite hitter Eamon Rigdon was serving, allowing the Bruins to grab the 2-1 lead. 

Rules state that if a player is out of position when the ball is served, an out-of-rotation error can be called, allowing the opposing team to obtain the point. However, officials did not immediately make it clear which USC player was called on the error. 

The fourth set saw a continuation of the same momentum. The Trojans could not find a way to stop Rama, who had seven kills in the set alone, while Kelly tabbed four more of his own. 

UCLA ultimately held USC to a .087 hitting percentage with four blocks in the set. While Klein added five more kills, the Trojans otherwise did not have a response to the Bruins, who closed out set four on a kill by redshirt junior David Decker to secure the 3-1 overall victory. 

With the loss, the Trojans have now lost three straight after starting the season undefeated, though the losses have all come against teams ranked in the top four.

“We lost to the number one team in the nation that’s undefeated, and that’s a tall order to begin with,” Nygaard said. “Now … we got to take care of business.”

USC’s MPSF matchup against Concordia University Irvine (5-11, 2-3) is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. at CU Arena in Irvine.