Following a string of back-to-back tournaments for USC, in which it finished 12-2, the Trojans continued their domination in the sand. USC hosted the MPSF Midseason Rumble in early March and continued that momentum into its trip to Pompano Beach, but ultimately did not finish undefeated in the latter.  

No. 3 USC (21-4) swept No. 9 UC Berkeley (14-7), Oregon (11-10) and No. 13 GCU (10-10) at home during the Midseason Rumble on March 6-7, and battled with No. 12 LSU (13-13) to take the win. USC’s No. 2 and 4 pairs lost their matches but avenged those losses in Florida. 

The Trojans have consistently found success against top-ranked teams like No. 2 Stanford (21-2), No. 8 LMU (19-5) and No. 4 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (20-2). The only losses that USC has suffered this season have come from rival UCLA, Texas and Florida State.  

Fun in Florida 

The Trojans were slated to face five opponents, with three of the five ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25. On the opening day of the Florida Atlantic Beach Invitational, which took place from March 14-17, the Trojans dominated the University of Tampa (15-9), swiftly defeating each pair, with only one set going into extra points at the No. 3 pair. 

Promoted to the No. 2 pair for this match, senior Alana Embry and sophomore Quincy Stephens clinched the first set, 24-22, before bouncing back to dominate Tampa’s sophomore Kaelyn Fredette-Huffman and junior Hailey Peterson, 21-10. 

The Trojans were handed their only loss of the tournament on Day 1 by No. 5 Florida State (22-1). Following a bit of a change-up in the normal pairings, some Trojans struggled more than others to find their footing. 

Junior Ashley Pater and sophomore Kennedy Coakley moved up to the No. 1 pair for the match, but ultimately fell in straight sets, 21-14, 21-16, to Florida State. 

A newer pair in freshmen Sarah Wood and Bella Satterwhite fought in three sets but also fell to the Seminoles. The dynamic duo of freshman Kyra Zaengle and sophomore Calinda Kok at the No. 4 pair won their match 21-19, 21-19. 

USC continued the tournament with back-to-back matches against No. 16 Florida Atlantic (13-11) and No. 7 TCU (32-5). 

The Trojans dominated Florida Atlantic, adding another sweep to the season, with 12 overall. As the previous pairings returned for their match against TCU, the Trojans defeated the Horned Frogs, but not without some extra volleyball. 

The No. 4 pair of graduate student Kerry Keefe and Satterwhite clinched the overall win for the Trojans, coming back from a one-set deficit to defeat TCU 18-21, 21-19, 15-13. 

A couple of days later, the Trojans were set for a rematch against the Horned Frogs and secured the win in another deciding third set. 

USC scored the first two points of the match, but TCU bounced back and defeated the No. 5 and No. 3 pairs of USC to tie the overall score at 2-2. 

This time, it was the No. 1 pair that fought to secure the win for the Trojans. Pater and Coakley bounced back after losing a tight first set to win the match and secure the point 23-25, 21-19, 15-7. 

The Trojans capped their time in Florida with another sweep against Palm Beach State (15-9), finishing the tournament with five wins and just one loss overall. 

Success in Texas 

The Trojans opened the Texas Invitational on March 27-28 with a familiar rematch against Florida Atlantic and finished with an identical sweep of the Eagles. 

Another Florida school awaited the Trojans in No. 17 North Florida (12-12). The Ospreys won only one match against the Trojans, as the No. 3 pair of seniors Andrea Da Silva Encinas and Madison Espy dominated USC’s Embry and Stephens 21-16, 21-13. 

More rematches followed on the second day, with the Trojans taking on LSU and No. 6 Texas (16-6). 

Last time the Trojans went up against the Tigers, two pairs fell short of capturing a point, but fought hard. This time around, USC dominated LSU, with the No. 3 and No. 4 pairs avenging their losses from their previous matchup. 

In the opening Outrigger Classic of the season in Hawaii, Zaengle and Kok defeated Texas’ redshirt junior Macey Butler and sophomore Noa Sonneville, but could not get it done this time around. Satterwhite redeemed her loss in the Outrigger Classic with a win in three sets with partner Keefe. 

Both matches for junior Zoey Henson and Wood went to extended time, with USC coming out on top both times. 

On their home court, the Longhorns defeated the Trojans 3-2 again, despite an opening set win for the No. 5 Texas pair. The No. 2 and No. 4 Trojan pairs won their matches in extended time as well, but the Trojans ultimately fell to Texas in three sets.

The Trojans return to Laguna Beach on Friday to compete in the Best In The West tournament. They will open tournament play against No. 10 Long Beach State (18-6) at 10:30 a.m. andCal Poly  at 2:30 p.m. The following day, they will play Stanford at 9:30 a.m., before closing the tournament against rival No. 1 UCLA (18-3) at 12:30 p.m.